Michael's Little Problem: Part 2
by 112908
Summary: Sequel to Michael's Little Problem. Life with Michael Westen has never been easy for Lily Sizemore, daughter of Michael's ex-partner and undead spy, Larry Sizemore. With Michael's burn notice and the return of Larry, Lily will have her hands full...
1. Chapter 1

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 1

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Lily Sizemore POV

Gone. Michael was gone and that was all I could think about at the moment. The last few days had been a whirlwind of commotion, ending with Nate, Grandma, and I holed up in a motel room in Ft. Lauderdale. I laid on the hotel bed trying not to think about the amount of cigarettes grandma was smoking, and thinking too much about the events of the past couple of days. Michael had been working on some sort of job with Sam and Fi, and then something went wrong. I didn't know any of the details, but I did know that something happened to Sam. At the same time Sam disappeared, Michael was dealing with mysterious phone calls from the people who burned him. Michael was worried about our safety, so we had to move to a safe house (which just happened to be an abandoned house that Nate was living in).

After staying with Nate at the safe house for a few days, Michael told us that we had to go to Ft. Lauderdale for a couple days until things 'cooled off' as he put it. Grandma and I had both objected to picking up and leaving, but Michael said it wasn't negotiable. He wouldn't jeopardize our safety just because it was more convenient for us to stay at home. I kept asking Michael for details about what was happening, and where Sam was, but he would only say that Sam was in trouble, and he was doing his best to get him back.

I knew something was seriously wrong when Michael discovered people were following us on the way to Ft. Lauderdale. After asking everyone if they had made any phone calls, it was revealed that grandma had called the house to check the messages. Michael said they knew where we were because grandma had used the cell phone to make the call. I remembered the sinking feeling in my stomach at what he had said next.

"Nate, I'm gonna pull over and get out. You keep going, and don't stop for anything. Understand?" Michael had spoken in a no nonsense voice, and Nate had agreed.

I was beside myself. "What are you going to do?" I frantically asked him.

Michael looked at me, and his expression was sad. "I have to do this to protect you guys, Lil. These are the people that burned me, and they want me to come in and meet with them. I don't know when I'll see you again, but I will try to contact you as soon as I can."

I had felt my eyes tearing up. It felt like he was saying goodbye forever. I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I couldn't believe the moment had finally come when Michael would have to leave again. Before I knew it, Michael had stopped the car and stepped out. Nate took the wheel, and we drove away, leaving Michael behind. The last glimpse I had of him, he was standing in the middle of a group of people; all armed, with his hands in the air. It was surreal to see because the Michael I knew never surrendered.

I was shaken out of my memories by grandma putting her hand on my shoulder. "Lily, you've barely said a word since we got here. Are you sick?" Grandma put her hand on my forehead, but I shook her off.

"I'm not sick; I just don't know when we're going to see Michael again."

Grandma seemed to mull over this for a little while before she spoke. "I don't know either, sweetie. I'm sure he'll call at some point to tell us to come home, but we have to prepare ourselves. It might be a long time before we see Michael again." She took another drag from her cigarette.

"It'll be just like before." I said sadly. I never wanted it to be like this ever again. I hated not knowing when I would see Michael again.

"We don't know what it'll be like, Lily. We just have to wait and see." I nodded and sat up in the bed. Grandma put her arms out, and I gave her a hug. Just as we broke apart, Nate came to the door, but he couldn't open it because grandma had jammed the door with a chair.

"Ma, open the door! I've told you a thousand times, they won't be coming here." Grandma pulled the chair away from the door, and Nate walked in.

"Nate, don't tell me what to do, there were men with guns coming after us a few days ago!" Nate just put his hands up in surrender and walked towards the bed. He ruffled my hair and I batted his hand away.

"Why do you and Michael always insist on screwing up my hair?" I gave Nate an angry look.

"Because we know you love it so much, Lils." He replied with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back; Nate's good mood was always infectious. We looked over at grandma after we heard the telltale sound of her lighter. "Ma, there's no smoking in here!" Nate admonished.

"Does it look like I care, Nate? It relaxes me." Grandma replied. Nate just shook her off. There was no point in arguing with grandma when she was like this.

Nate turned to me. "Wanna go for a walk? I think I could use some fresh air." After sitting in the room for hours, I wholeheartedly agreed.

…

The next day, grandma was getting antsy. Nate had gone out for the day, claiming he was going to meet some old friends, and we had been sitting in the hotel room all morning. I spent most of the morning reading my book but not really absorbing any of the content. I was thinking about calling Fiona and asking if she knew anything about Michael yet. After a couple hours of debating if I should call, I made up my mind.

"Grandma, I'm going to the gas station to get something to drink. Do you want anything?" I hoped grandma wouldn't say she wanted to come with because I didn't think she would approve of calling home.

"No, honey. Come back soon though or you'll miss Jeopardy!" Grandma had gotten obsessed with the show in the ample time we had spent watching TV over the past couple days. I grabbed a room key, and then I was out the door and on my way to the gas station before you could say 'daily double'.

I got nervous as I waited in line for the pay phone. What if they knew we were here and listened to my conversation with Fi? I shook my head; Grandma's paranoia was rubbing off on me. When the man in front of me was done making his call, I stepped up, put my quarter in and dialed Fi's number. I was thankful I was able to remember her phone number off the top of my head because I had left my cell phone at home. Not that I would have been able to use my phone anyways. Fiona answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Fi, it's Lily." I answered back.

"Where are you calling from?" Fiona asked. She seemed curious.

"A gas station in Ft. Lauderdale. Listen, have you heard anything from Michael?" I waited with bated breath for her answer.

"As a matter of fact, yes I have! Michael called me a few minutes ago. He said he had a job and he needed my help. I'm on my way back to the loft right now." Fiona said Michael's name like it was a deadly poison, and I could tell she was mad at him. For that matter, so was I.

"What! That doesn't make any sense, he said he didn't know the next time he would see us! Is it safe for us to come back?" I hoped she would say yes because I had missed two days of school already.

"Well, I'm going to be giving Michael a well deserved punch in the face when I see him, do you want me to give him one from you also? Ask Michael before you leave, but I'm pretty sure it's safe now." Fiona replied.

"That's a relief. Go easy on him, Fi. I want to be able to talk with him when we get back. I'll tell grandma to call Michael when I get back to the room. See you soon?"

"Of course, Lily. Maybe we could go to the beach or something on Saturday. Until then, take care of yourself." I agreed to a beach day on Saturday and then we said goodbye. I ran back to the hotel trying to hide my excitement. I burst into the room and grandma dropped her cigarette onto the bed.

"Damn it, Lily! You know better than that!" Grandma said as she picked the cigarette off the bed.

"Sorry, Grandma. I just called Fiona and she said Michael is back! She said to call him to make sure we can come home. Isn't that exciting?" I was practically jumping up and down. I couldn't believe I was going to see Michael again in just a few short hours.

"Oh, that's wonderful, sweetie! I'll call Michael right now." Grandma promptly got up from the bed and dialed Michael's phone.

"Michael?" Grandma always said the same thing when she called Michael.

"Are you okay?" I could almost hear Michael's annoyed voice answer through the phone. Grandma continued, "The last time we saw you there were men with guns! Is it safe to come home yet?" Grandma listened while Michael responded, and then she hung up. She turned to me. "He said we can come home!" I was so excited I threw myself into her arms.

"What about Nate? He's gone for the day and he doesn't have a cell phone." There was no way to let Nate know we were safe to go home.

"We'll leave a note at the front desk. Pack your things and we'll leave, sweetie." I nodded and started packing.

…

Twenty minutes later, we were in the Charger on our way back to Miami. I looked over at grandma, thinking how odd it was to see her in the driver's seat of the Charger. I was so used to seeing Michael behind the wheel. Grandma laughed.

"I remember when Frank used to drive this car. He and Michael used to spend hours out in the garage working on it." She smiled at the memory. I remembered when Michael came to get the Charger at the house, and the memories he had shared with Grandma about working on the car weren't quite as fond as she remembered.

"How come Michael and Mr. Westen never got along?" I asked.

"Frank was a difficult person to get along with. He was a drinker, as you remember, and Michael was left to pick up the pieces every time he walked out on us." Grandma didn't seem to want to talk about their relationship, so I dropped it. After listening to oldies on the radio for an hour, I eventually got sleepy and took a nap.

When I woke up, Grandma was just about to pull the Charger into the garage. "Welcome back, sleepy head." She said with a smile.

"Sorry, I just got so tired. How was the drive?" I got out of the car and stretched my legs. I always felt bad when I fell asleep on long drives because it was probably so boring for grandma to not have anyone to talk to.

"It was fine, it didn't take long." Grandma replied. We opened the back door to the house, and were met with a nasty smell. "What is that?" Grandma said while covering her nose. I looked around, trying to gauge where the smell was coming from.

"I think it's coming from the refrigerator." I opened it up and was met with the horrible smell that permeated the room. All the food in the refrigerator was spoiled. I shut the refrigerator door, trying to keep the smell contained. "How did this happen?" I asked. Grandma was standing by the coffee pot.

"The coffee pot burned out, and blew a fuse! I must have left it on when we left. I'll go downstairs and reset the fuse box." Grandma huffed and walked away muttering something along the lines of, "This is all Michael's fault…" I got some garbage bags out of the cupboard and set to cleaning out the fridge. I had just thrown the milk out when grandma came back up the stairs carrying a shotgun.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, shocked. Grandma was taking her paranoia to a new level.

"It was Franks. If the people with guns come back, we'll be prepared." Grandma said in a hard voice. I didn't comment, knowing not to test her patience. She set the gun on the kitchen table and we got back to cleaning the fridge out.

It took us almost an hour to get everything cleaned up, and when we were finished, grandma sat at the kitchen table to smoke a cigarette while I went upstairs to unpack my bag. Just as I finished putting my dirty clothes in the hamper and my clean ones back into my drawers, I heard the front door open.

"Ma, what are you doing? Put the shotgun down." Michael said in an annoyed voice. My heart leapt and I bolted down the hallway and to the stairs. Just by hearing Michael's voice, I forgot about being upset with him. Michael looked up as I pounded down the stairs and smiled. He held his arms out and I leaped into them, forgetting about the last step. I could tell I almost knocked him over by jumping in his arms, but he held me tight.

"Whoa there, kiddo. We've only been apart for two days." Michael patted my back and I hugged him tighter.

"I didn't think I would see you again for a while! I never expected to see you so soon…" Michael laughed and put me down.

"Well, here I am! I'm sorry I can't stay very long, I have a job that I need to do some work on." Michael said.

"Who are you doing the job for?" I asked. Michael paused.

"It's complicated, Lily. I don't want to get you involved in all this." Grandma cut in after Michael said this.

She held up the coffee pot. "Look, Michael! It burned out because you made me leave in such a rush! Can you fix it?" I didn't understand why grandma was so torn up about the coffee pot. I looked at Michael's expression and laughed.

"I can try, Ma. I'll come back another day. I need to get back to work. Bye, Lily." Michael headed for the door. I wanted to give him another hug but I didn't want to seem clingy.

"Bye, Michael. See you soon?" He nodded and closed the door. I felt happy that Michael was back so soon, but I didn't like the new side to him. It seemed like he was preoccupied about something, and I wondered what it was. I had a feeling I wouldn't be finding out the reason why.

…

On Saturday, Fiona and Sam came over to the house together. Fiona and I were going to spend the day at the beach, and Sam said he wanted to have a beer with grandma. His face looked terrible when he walked in the door. It looked like he was covered in cuts and bruises.

"What happened to you?" I asked him after I had given him a hug.

"Oh, nothing. Just a little misunderstanding. I'll be fine." Sam said evasively. Apparently Michael and Sam were both set on keeping things from me. He made his way to the kitchen, and Fiona and I said goodbye and left for the beach.

We spent the day laying out on the beach, and while we were walking back to the car, I turned to Fiona. "What's going on with Michael's burn notice?" Fiona seemed to debate with herself before she answered.

"The people who burned Michael hired him for a job, and that's all I know." She replied.

"Well, is he leaving again after the job?" I hoped she had an answer I wanted to hear.

"I think he's going to be around here for the time being. He has a lot to figure out." I laughed.

"Like why he even wants his old job back? What's his obsession with getting back in?" Getting his job back seemed to occupy Michael's every waking moment.

"I wish I knew the answer to that question, Lily. Michael doesn't seem to realize that he's doing what he loves here in Miami. He was put on this earth to help people, and he thinks the only way to do that is to get his job back. He helps people here in Miami every day, yet he thinks that's not enough. I'll never understand him." I agreed with Fiona.

"Are you guys still together?"

"For now, but I don't see that lasting that much longer. We'll always be friends, but I just can't be together with him when he's like this." Fiona seemed torn up about the whole situation, so I didn't press the subject further. I hoped Michael realized what he was giving up by being so obsessed with his burn notice.

When we got to the car, Fiona opened her trunk and we discovered a little surprise in the form of five guns. I jumped back, but Fiona just smiled. She dialed Michael's cell.

"Your friends left me a little surprise in the trunk of my car, Michael… Oh, I'll take good care of them." She hung up, and covered the guns with a towel. She smiled at me like nothing happened and we got in the car.

"What was that all about?" I was bursting with questions and I knew Fiona couldn't answer them.

"Just part of the job we're working on. I wish I could tell you more, but Michael would never forgive me for getting you involved."

"Nobody is telling me anything! I just want to know what's going on, Fiona." My frustrations with being left in the dark were coming through.

"Ask Michael. Just wait a couple days until the job blows over, and maybe he'll give you some answers." Fiona answered calmly, seeming to understand my frustrations.

"Maybe." I replied. I didn't want to pester Michael, but I wanted to know. I had a couple days to think it over, so I would do just that.

…

As I ran down my usual running path, I was deep in thought. I still hadn't decided if I wanted to confront Michael about what was going on with his burn notice. It was none of my business, but I just wanted to know how long he would be staying. I kept having a feeling that he could leave at the drop of a hat, and I needed to know if that was the case or wasn't. Would it be wrong for me to ask him for answers? After all, I knew more about his spy life than grandma did. Couldn't I take whatever he told me?

I was about halfway to my beach when I made my decision. I wasn't going to put it off anymore. I was going to talk to Michael, and I was going to do it right now. I changed directions, and headed towards the main road to Michael's loft. I sped up, feeling anxious and excited to finally confront Michael. He was keeping secrets from me, and I didn't think I deserved it.

I was totally drained when I got to Michael's loft. I had run about five miles, which was more than I usually ran without stopping to take a break. I walked straight up the stairs to Michael's door, and walked right in. Michael was standing by the kitchen counter eating a yogurt. As he walked towards me, I put my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath.

"Lily, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Michael said in a concerned voice. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"I came here because I need to talk to you. Do you think I don't deserve to know what's going on with your burn notice?" I asked breathlessly, putting it all on the table. Michael took a step back.

"Did you run all the way here? That's gotta be at least five miles!" He was trying to change the subject, but I wouldn't have it.

"Stop trying to change the subject! I don't understand why you're keeping secrets from me. Just tell me what's going on! I think I've proven to you that I can handle the truth." I stared at Michael, waiting for an answer. His face was expressionless as he went to the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water, and brought it back to me.

He paused for a moment before he started talking; probably just to see if I was going to keel over from exhaustion. "Lily, you've been through so much in the past year. I don't want you to be a part of this." I cut him off.

"If I can handle Larry coming into town, I think I can handle this." I spat at him. He gave me a hard look and seemed to consider his options.

"If I tell you what's going on, you can't tell anyone else, okay? Especially grandma." I nodded and he continued. "A couple weeks ago I was contacted by the people who burned me. They said they wanted me to come in, but that was right around the time Sam was taken. They were very persistent about getting me to come in, and it was getting in the way of getting Sam back. That was when I had to get out of the car and leave you guys. I told them I had a job to do, and I needed 24 hours to get it done. I made a deal with them, and said I would come in if they left me alone for that time. They agreed, and after we saved Sam, I had to meet them. I wasn't gone long before they had a job for me." He paused. "Lily, these people are very dangerous. If I don't do these things for them, they will hurt the people I love. I need to figure out who did this to me, and that's where I'm at right now. That's everything." Michael looked at me to respond.

I thought about what he said for a couple seconds before I responded, "It sounds like quite the predicament. Have you found out anything about the people who burned you?"

Michael shrugged. "The only person I've talked to is a woman named Carla, and that's not even her real name. She's sort of like the enforcer. She tells me the job I have to do, and the time limit I have to get it done."

"Thanks for telling me, Michael." Michael put his arm around my shoulder.

"I only told you because you're right, you deserve to know what's going on in my life."

"Thanks. So are you here to stay for a while, then?" I almost hated to ask.

"I think so, Lily. They need me for jobs around here, so I'll be here for the time being." I smiled.

"I'm glad you'll be here, I just wish it was on different terms." I admitted.

"I do too. With any luck, I'll eventually be able to figure all this out." I wanted to ask Michael what happened after that, but I felt I had asked enough of him for today. "So…just for the record, you ran all the way here?" Michael looked at me with a surprised face.

"I did. I just needed to know, and I didn't want to put it off any longer." I said sheepishly.

Michael laughed. "Well can I give you a ride home, or would you like to run back? You're like the running version of Lance Armstrong."

I smiled. "I think I'll take you up on that ride home."

…

As I sat down to do my homework that night, I felt happy to be in the loop again, but sad to know that Michael was just at the tip of the iceberg with his burn notice.


	2. Chapter 2

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 2

Miami, FL

Lily Sizemore POV

"Okay, I want everyone to participate today!" My gym teacher, Mr. Foster shouted. My gym class was standing outside on the football field getting ready to play a game of soccer. He threw the ball onto the field, and then everyone was off and running. As I jogged towards the action, my thoughts drifted towards the events of the past few weeks since Michael had talked to me.

It had been a few weeks since Michael had told me about the burn notice stuff, and I hadn't seen much of him since. He had been very busy with new jobs, and figuring out what to do with the new things that were coming to light about why he was burned. He came to pick me up from school a few times, but other than that he wasn't around much. I wished Michael wasn't so busy though, because I really needed someone to talk to. My eyes drifted towards Kelsey, who was lagging on the sidelines trying to stay out of the way.

My best friend Kelsey, who I had known since third grade, had been very distant these past few weeks. At first I thought it was because she was upset with me, but when I asked her about it she just said she wasn't and everything was fine between us. I knew something was wrong though, and when I asked her again a few days later she said she couldn't talk to me about her problem because she didn't want to get me involved. When she said that, I got really nervous. What if there was something seriously wrong with her? I decided to let it go for the time being, and Kelsey continued to act strange.

I was shaken out of my thoughts by Mr. Foster. "Sizemore, you've been standing there for five minutes! Are you going to participate or would you rather run laps around the track?" Even though running on the track seemed to be a better option, I didn't want to get on Mr. Foster's bad side.

"Sorry, Mr. Foster." I grinned at him apologetically and ran down to the other end of the field. The rest of gym class went by without incident, except for right around the middle of class when some kid kicked my shin instead of the ball. When Mr. Foster blew the whistle, Kelsey and I quickly made our way to the locker room to change out of our gym clothes.

I had just finished changing and was taking my backpack out of my locker when I turned to Kelsey. "Hey, did you do the reading for English, because –" I paused. Kelsey hadn't pulled her shirt down, and I saw a nasty bruise on her back. She caught me looking and quickly pulled it down. "What the hell happened to you?" I asked. Maybe that had something to do with why she had been acting so strange lately.

"It's nothing, Lily." She replied shortly. I didn't believe that for a second.

I shook my head. "That's definitely not nothing, Kels! Just tell me what happened." I put my hand on her shoulder and she shook it off.

"I can't, he'll kill me!" Kelsey had a faraway look in her eyes. She looked terrified.

"So a 'he' did this? Just tell me, maybe I can help you!" She debated before she answered, and then she picked up her backpack.

"Fine, but not in here." I nodded and we walked out of the locker room. We stepped into the gym class equipment room where it was quieter. Kelsey looked so nervous, and I couldn't think of what to say to reassure her everything was going to be okay.

"It's going to be fine, I promise." I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable about telling me.

Kelsey wrung her hands together, and then she spoke. "It's my mom's boyfriend. She started dating him a couple months ago. At first it was all fine. My mom really likes him, and I was starting to warm up to him too. A couple weeks ago things started to get weird. My mom wanted to use these old dishes that her mother gave to her, so she sent me downstairs to look for them. We never go down there, so I didn't really know what I was looking for. I started to open some boxes, and one box I opened was filled with drugs. I had no idea where they came from, but I knew they weren't my mothers. I panicked and tried to put them back in the right place, but then I heard Jeff coming down the stairs…" Kelsey trailed off and took a deep breath.

I patted her on the back. "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to."

She shook her head. "It's fine. He saw me with the box and he got really upset. He grabbed me and asked what I was doing downstairs. I told him I was looking for the dishes, but I could tell he knew I had seen the drugs. He pushed me against the wall and said if I ever told my mom what I saw in that box he'd kill her, and then me. I promised I wouldn't say anything, and then he let me go. Ever since that day, he's been all over me. He won't let me leave the house, and he picks me up from school every day so I can't go anywhere. I think he's afraid I'll go to the police. I tried to leave the house the other day because I just had to get away, but he caught me. I struggled, trying to get out of his grasp and when I fell down he kicked me in the back. That's where that bruise came from."

She paused again and looked up at me. "I don't know what to do, I think he's a really bad person, and he'll kill me if I run away. And I don't know what to do about my mom; she doesn't know anything about it." Kelsey had tears in her eyes and I could tell she didn't want to continue. I immediately thought of Michael. He dealt with things like this all the time, right?

"I think I know someone who can help you. I'll talk to him before school is over to see if he can talk to you about this." Kelsey shook her head.

"No, we can't tell anyone. He'll know. He watches my every move." I thought about this for a second.

"He's very good with dealing with problems like this; trust me. We can go talk to him after school today. Just tell Jeff you're coming home with me to work on a school project. I'll be there with you the whole time to make sure he says yes." This had to work. I had to help Kelsey out.

"Well, he does pick me up from school every day, so he won't be able to say no if you come out with me." She seemed okay with my plan so I was happy.

"Okay sounds like a plan. I'll call him right now." With that, Kelsey agreed and then rushed off to her next class. I stayed behind and dialed Michael's cell phone.

He answered right away. "Lily? What's wrong, are you still at school?" Michael answered, clearly concerned. This was unusual because I never called him during school hours.

"Michael, I need a favor… Are you busy?" I asked, hesitantly. I hoped he wasn't too busy for this because Kelsey really needed help.

"What's up?" Michael replied. I smiled, relieved.

"My friend needs your help. I don't have time to tell you the specifics, but can we come to the loft after school today?" I knew I was being vague, but Kelsey would be able to explain much better than I could, later.

"Okay, sure. I'll be around then." Michael seemed skeptical.

"Great, see you in a few hours." I replied.

"Okay bye, Lil." Michael said and then hung up.

…

The rest of the day seemed to crawl by. I felt relieved that Kelsey had finally clued me in on what was going on with her, but worried about what Michael would say about her situation. I hoped he agreed to help her out, because I wanted her to be happy again. With Jeff lurking around, that would just never happen.

When the final bell rang, I rushed to my locker where Kelsey and I agreed to meet. She seemed nervous as we walked towards the exit. "What should I say?" She looked at me.

"Just say you have to work on a history project with me and we are going to my house." That sounded believable. She agreed and we walked out the exit. Jeff was waiting in the parking lot in a black Mercedes. He got out of the car when he saw us walking up.

"Who is your friend, Kels?" He had a New York accent, and he was dressed in a suit. He looked at us sharply.

"This is my friend, Lily. I probably should have called you, but we have to go to Lily's house to work on a project for history. I won't be needing a ride home today." Kelsey spoke with a shaky voice, and she kept looking down at her feet.

Jeff smiled at us, but I could tell it was forced. I shivered; this man reminded me strongly of Larry. "That's okay, can I at least give you guys a ride to your house?"

I spoke before Kelsey could respond. "No, that's okay. My house is close, and it's a nice day. I wouldn't want to trouble you." If Michael found out I got in a car with this man, he would probably kill me.

"Okay, suit yourself." He put his hand on Kelsey's shoulder. "Make sure you're home in time for dinner. You know how your mother worries." He then got back in his car and drove off. Kelsey was shaking as we walked away.

"He knows. I'm sure of it." She shook her head, clearly regretting telling me about Jeff.

"No he doesn't. We'll be fine." I replied calmly.

"So, who exactly is this guy we're going to see?" She asked. I paused momentarily, trying to figure out what to say.

"Well, he's my grandma's son. His name is Michael." I said vaguely.

"Oh, so he's your uncle?"

"Um, I guess you could say that." It was hard to describe my relationship with Michael. I mean, I couldn't just tell people he took me in when my dead father (who is now alive) abandoned me. Kelsey gave me a sideways look, but didn't say anything. I hesitated but then added, "He's kind of like my dad even though he really isn't." I was doing a poor job of explaining but it would have to do.

Kelsey nodded, and then asked, "You've never talked about your dad before. What happened to him?"

"Um, he's still around." I said evasively.

Kelsey looked at me skeptically, "It sounds like there's more to the story, Lily."

Yup, there sure was. I couldn't help but feel like my relationship with Larry was very similar to Kelsey's relationship with Jeff. Maybe if I told her what happened to me she would understand why I wanted Michael to help her. I had to leave out the spy part, but she would probably get the gist of what happened. I took a deep breath before I said, "Remember a couple months ago when I had those scrapes and bruises? I told you I fell when I was running…"

Kelsey narrowed her eyes, "Yeah, so what really happened?"

I didn't quite know where to begin, so I felt it best to start at the beginning. "I used to live with my father, but Michael took me in when I was five. A couple months ago my father came back and he wanted me to live with him. I, of course, didn't want to leave and things got a little physical. He made some threats, but in the end, Michael was able to save me. That's why I know he can fix your problem." I couldn't help but glance at the scar on my arm as I told the story that put it there.

Kelsey stopped walking to stare at me. "Lils, I can't believe that happened to you. I'm so sorry! Now I wish I would have told you about my problem sooner…"

I patted her shoulder, "It's ok, I'm fine now. And Michael's going to fix your problem just like he fixed mine, so don't worry." I really hoped Michael could deliver on all the promises I was making.

Kelsey just nodded and we started walking again. I made small talk about school to get her mind off of Jeff, and before I knew it we had arrived at the loft. Michael opened the door just as we were about to knock. I jumped back.

"Jeez, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I put my hand over my heart. Michael rolled his eyes at me, and I laughed.

"We wouldn't want that," he said, ruffling my hair. "I was just about to run to the Charger. I think I left my sunglasses in there." Michael paused, looking at Kelsey. He held out his hand, "I'm Michael." Kelsey shook it.

"I'm Kelsey. So you're Lily's uncle?" She asked. Michael looked at me curiously and turned back to Kelsey.

"Yep, I sure am. Why don't you girls come in and sit down. There's yogurt in the fridge if you're hungry. Fiona's already in there." He ran to the car while we went inside. Fiona was standing by the fridge selecting a yogurt.

"Hi, Lily. Who's your friend?" Fiona smiled.

"Fiona, this is Kelsey. Kelsey, this is Fiona." I introduced them and they shook hands. Fiona sat on Michael's bed while Kelsey and I sat on the kitchen stools. Michael came back in shortly, sunglasses in hand, and he sat in his favorite green chair.

"So… What did you want to talk to me about?" Michael looked at me.

"Well, Kelsey is having some problems, but she can tell you the story." I gestured for Kelsey to begin, and she took a deep breath.

"It's my mom's boyfriend, Jeff. I think he sells drugs or something. I found a box of them in the basement at our house a couple weeks ago, and he caught me looking at them. He got really mad at me, and said if I told anyone about what I saw he would kill my mom, and then me. Ever since then, he's been crazy. He won't let me leave the house, and sometimes he gets so angry with me he hits me. I don't know what to do. Lily said you could help me." Kelsey looked up at Michael.

"Did you see anything else besides the drugs?" Michael asked.

Kelsey shook her head. "No, but I overheard him talking on the phone the other day. He was talking about only being the middle man. He said he ships it, he doesn't sell it. He caught me listening after that and he locked me in my room." Kelsey looked down at her hands, clearly ashamed and vigorously wiping the tears off her face. Michael sat for a little while, deep in thought, and then Fiona stood up.

"Kelsey, I'll show you to the bathroom so you can get a tissue." She pointed towards the bathroom, and Kelsey got up. As soon as they walked away, Michael turned towards me with a mad look.

"This sounds like a job for the police, Lily." I stood up, suddenly angry.

"She said he'll kill her if she goes to the police! I brought her here because I thought you would help her. I told her about how you helped me with Larry, isn't this the same type of thing?"

Michael looked even angrier. "What did you tell her, _Lily_?"

"Just the basics, _Michael_." I snapped back. "She doesn't know Larry's name or that you were a spy. I'm not an idiot, you know." I felt insulted that Michael would think I would just spill the beans about his secretive life.

Michael put his hands up, "Fine. I trust you, but I still don't know about this job –" Fiona walked back in, cutting him off.

"Oh, don't worry, Lily. We'll help Kelsey out. Isn't that right, Michael?" Fiona spoke in a threatening voice, and I could tell she wasn't going to take no for an answer. _Thank God for Fiona_, I thought to myself.

Michael put his hands up, surrendering. "I'll see what I can do." Michael turned to Kelsey. "I'm going to try and help you, but I'll need to speak with Jeff."

Kelsey's eyes widened. "No, you can't talk to him. He'll know I said something." She looked terrified.

"It'll be fine. Fiona and I do this a lot. You're going to have to trust us." Michael smiled and Kelsey looked at me. I nodded at her in encouragement.

"Okay, do whatever you have to do." She replied.

"Is there a place I can talk to him?" Michael asked.

"Well, he picks me up from school every day. He drives a black Mercedes and he always wears a suit. Is that enough information? I don't have a picture or anything."

Michael nodded, "That's perfect, I'm sure I won't have any trouble."

Fiona added, "I'm sure it wouldn't be any trouble for me to bring my baseball bat either." She smiled and Michael pretended like he didn't hear her.

He looked at me and said, "I'll pick you up from school tomorrow, and I'll talk to him while I'm waiting for you. Come outside when I call, okay? I don't want you two anymore in the middle of this than you already are."

"Okay, we can do that." I replied. We talked a little more about the plan for tomorrow, and then Michael drove us home. I asked him if Kelsey could stay overnight at grandma's house, but he said Jeff would get too suspicious.

Before she got out of the car, Michael gave Kelsey his cell phone number just in case. "Just do your best to stay away from Jeff. Call me if anything goes wrong, alright?"

Kelsey looked nervous, but she said, "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Lily. Thanks, Michael."

I felt terrible leaving Kelsey, but we had no other choice. When we pulled up to grandma's house, Michael turned to me. "Did Kelsey tell you anything else about this guy?"

I thought for a second. "Well, she said he has a really quick temper; the bruise on her back shows that. He dressed nice, and he spoke with a New York accent when I saw him earlier, but that's all I can tell you." I paused and then added, "He reminded me of Larry. The way he smiled reminded me of the way Larry does. All forced and crazed looking."

Michael clenched his fists. "We'll get him to go away. Remember, don't come out of the building until I text you tomorrow, okay? I need some time to convince Jeff I'm his kind of guy."

"Okay, Michael. Thanks so much for doing this. I'll see you tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 3

Miami, FL

Michael Westen POV

I was sitting with Fi going over the logistics of tomorrow's meeting with Jeff when Sam walked into the loft. I had asked him to find out whatever he could about Jeff so I could be better prepared.

"Well, Mikey, there wasn't much on this guy, but from what I could tell he's small time. Jeff Walters deals pharmaceuticals mostly, and he has a fairly small client base. He'll probably be pretty closed mouthed about his operation, so you'll have to turn the charm on."

I smiled. "I think I can handle that. Although I would rather knock him around for a while…" Fiona agreed with me, but we both knew we couldn't do that.

"Ha ha you and me both, brother. He's from Brooklyn, and he just moved here a few months ago. He had some heat comin' down on him back up North. But now apparently business is pretty good here." Sam looked at me, waiting for the plan.

"Well, business is about to take a drastic turn for the worse. I figure I'll go in as Johnny Palmer, the disgruntled father and husband, desperate for some drugs to take the edge off. Hopefully I can convince Walters to sell me some drugs, and then maybe Chuck Finley can work some magic and spook him into leaving town. Then the police catch him with all the drugs, and we all go home winners. Sound easy?" Sam nodded, but Fiona cut in.

"That doesn't sound nearly painful enough. I could –"

"Fi, we don't need any of that this time." I replied.

Fi huffed. "You're no fun, Michael."

I turned to Sam. "Sam, you'll come in later, but Fi, I might need your help tomorrow. Try to stay close just in case things get interesting. I have to do this at the school, so the girls will be close. I wish there was another way, but there's nothing we can do about it." Just as I finished going over the plan, my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and realized it was Carla. "Hellooo?" I answered cheerfully.

Carla's smoky voice answered. "Hello, Michael. I was just calling to tell you what a great job you did the other day."

"Aw, thanks. I'm touched; you did great as well! Why don't you give me your bosses' numbers and I can tell them what a great job you did?" I asked, knowing the answer already.

"Oh, that's alright. Why don't you celebrate by doing something with Lily? You haven't been around for her much, lately."

I rolled my eyes, hating that she knew everything about my life. "Oh, she's fine. I'll have to talk to you later, Carla. I'm right in the middle of something."

"Bye, Michael." Carla hung up after that, and I fought the urge to throw my phone into the ground.

…

The next day came quick, and before I knew it I was in the parking lot looking for a black Mercedes. I had opted to wear jeans and a t shirt with a Yankees hat, trying to play towards Jeff's New Yorker roots. As a spy, it's easier to get people to trust you when they feel you have a connection with them, even if it's just a baseball hat.

I spotted Jeff on my second trip around the parking lot. He was leaning on the hood of a black Mercedes, just like Kelsey said he would be. I pulled the Charger up next to the Mercedes, and got out. I leaned against the hood of my car, mimicking his stance. I kept to myself for a few minutes, not wanting to seem eager, and then I turned to him. "Man, I gotta drag my ass to this school every single day, and my kid doesn't have the respect to be out here on time!" I spoke in my New York accent, really laying it on thick.

Jeff just nodded. "Yeah me too."

I went a little bit further, hoping to engage him. "When I was a kid back in Brooklyn, my old man made us walk to school both ways. Nowadays these kids have it so good." I sighed heavily.

"You from Brooklyn?" He looked at me sideways.

"Born and raised. Name's Johnny Palmer. What about you? You don't sound like you're from around these parts either." I smiled at him like we were in a secret club together.

"Me too. But this place treats me pretty well, so I can't complain. I'm Jeff Walters, by the way." Jeff smiled.

"Oh yeah? What do you do for a living that treats you so well? Come on, nice suit, nice car, you gotta do somethin' good." I had Jeff on the hook; I just had to lure him in.

"I'm in pharmaceuticals." He answered evasively.

I nodded enthusiastically like I was really interested. "Oh, you sell?"

"Sometimes. Depends on what you're looking for." He replied.

_Gotcha_, I thought to myself. "Well, you know I got this daughter who's a piece of work, and my wife… Don't even get me started. It's always 'I want this,' or 'I need this.' What about me? Can you get me something to take the edge off, Doc?"

Jeff hesitated for a second. "Gimme your number, Johnny. I'll call you and we'll talk business. Gotta help a fellow New Yorker out, right?" He smirked at me.

"Got that right, Jeff. Here's my digits." I gave him my number, and then pulled out my cell phone. "Jeez, these kids are like dogs! They won't come out unless you call 'em." Jeff laughed in agreement, and I texted Lily to come outside.

…

Lily Sizemore POV

I sat with Kelsey by my locker, phone in hand, waiting for Michael's text. We were both nervous and hadn't spoken much. I jumped when my phone buzzed. Michael's text said, _come outside, just go with whatever I say._

Go with what? We hadn't talked about this yesterday, so I had no idea what Michael's text meant. I was immediately nervous. I got up and so did Kelsey. "Okay, let's go." I tried not to show my nerves as we walked out of the building, but I had no idea what to expect. When we got to the parking lot, I saw the Charger parked next to Jeff's Mercedes, and Michael and Jeff were both standing by their cars.

When Michael spotted me, he said, "Jesus, what took you so long? My daughter, the slow poke." I noticed he had a New York accent, and he was looking at me like I was of great annoyance to him. When I got close enough, he walked up and grabbed me by the arm. "Well?" Michael shook me, and waited for my reply.

"I was in the library with Kelsey, dad. We were working on our project and lost track of time." I replied, trying to hide my shock at Michael's behavior. It felt so strange to hear him talk to me this way. I tried to pull my arm out of his grasp, but he wouldn't let go.

Michael shook my arm again. "Don't you get all feisty with me! Don't make me wait next time." He pulled me towards the car and turned to Jeff. "Nice meeting you, Jeff. We'll be in touch." Michael shoved me towards the passenger side of the car and I stumbled into the car. Jeff waved as we pulled out.

Once we were on the road, Michael turned to me with an apologetic look on his face, but I spoke first. "I know you said to go with it, but I wish you would have warned me that you were gonna go all Larry on me with the arm grabbing." I glared at him.

"Look, I'm sorry –" Michael paused and looked into the rearview mirror closely. "He's following us, probably checking up on my story. I need to call Fi. We have to make a detour." Michael dialed Fiona's cell phone. "Fi, we have a problem. Jeff is checking up on my story. He's tailing us. We're coming to your place. I need you to be my nagging, high maintenance wife. Can you do that for me?" Fi responded, and Michael said, "Okay, we'll meet you outside in a minute." Then he hung up.

Michael kept driving like nothing was happening, so I said, "What am I supposed to be doing?" I felt a little angry that I was so out of the loop, and to be honest, I didn't want to be a part of Michael's cover ID. Johnny acted a little too similar to Larry for my liking.

"Just play along like before, and hopefully he won't stay long." Michael responded. Just then, we pulled up to Fiona's place. I noticed the black Mercedes had parked a couple cars behind the Charger. "Here we go." Michael said as he opened the door. Fiona was waiting outside, and rushed towards Michael as he walked towards her apartment. I stayed in the car, not quite sure what to do.

"Johnny, where the hell were you? I've been calling for twenty minutes! I asked you to pick up a gallon of milk at the store!" Fi spoke in a nagging voice. Michael pointed at me.

"I had to go pick up our daughter at school, and because she took her sweet ass time I didn't stop at the grocery store so I guess we don't have any milk!" Michael spoke in the same New York accent he had used at the school. I stepped out of the car and made my way into Fi's apartment trying to get by unnoticed. Michael grabbed my arm again as I walked by, and I glared at him. "Look at this, she just walks away without thanking me. As usual…" Michael droned on.

Fi ran over and slapped Michael across the face. This was playing out like a soap opera. "Don't you dare grab our daughter like that! It's your fault we don't have the milk, don't bring her into this!" Fiona grabbed my hand and we walked towards the house.

Behind us, Michael threw his hands in the air. "Blah, blah, blah! That's all I ever hear comin' out of your mouth!" I looked back and saw the black Mercedes pull away. Apparently Jeff had seen enough. Michael immediately stopped his ranting when Jeff turned the corner, and he followed us into Fiona's apartment.

I turned to Michael as soon as we got in the apartment. "Please tell me we'll never have to do that again?" It scared me that Michael could just become a completely different person, and I really didn't want to be a part of it ever again.

Michael walked towards me and put his hand on my shoulder. "I don't think so, but I can't make any promises. You did fine, Lily."

I shrugged his hand off my shoulder, still upset. "So did you, _Johnny_! You scared me half to death!" I stepped away from Michael, but he stepped closer and put his arms around me.

"It's what I had to do to convince Jeff I'm his kind of guy. We have to do this to help Kelsey, and I know you don't like it, but it has to be done." He rubbed my back, and I started to feel better. I felt like a child for being so upset about the way he acted, but he had been so much like Larry that it scared me.

We pulled apart and I went to sit on the couch with Fiona while Michael walked towards the refrigerator. "So what comes next?" I asked.

Michael rummaged around for a little while and came out with a yogurt before he answered. "Well, hopefully Jeff will call me within the next few days, and after he sells me the drugs, we can get Sam involved. Sam is going to pretend to be with the FBI, and hopefully that will scare Jeff away. He'll probably take all his drugs with him when he leaves town, and then we'll call the police and catch him."

Michael acted like this was all so easy, but it certainly didn't seem like it. "Oh, okay." I replied, not able to think of anything else to say.

Fiona put her arm around my shoulders. "It'll be fine, Lily. Jeff will be gone before you know it. I do wish I could have a few minutes alone with him, though…" Fiona trailed off at Michael's warning look, probably fantasizing about beating up Jeff.

I smiled at Fiona's reassurance, and then Michael spoke again. "Lily, you need to make sure you keep in touch with Kelsey. If anything goes wrong, we'll need to get her out of that house. Call me the second you think something might be wrong, okay?"

"Okay, I can do that." I replied. That seemed like an easier job than being part of Michael's cover ID.

Michael smiled. "Great. Ready to go home?" I frowned, not looking forward to the mountain of homework that awaited me. Summer was near, though, so I would just have to deal with it for another couple weeks.

"Sure thing, Johnny. We can swing by the store and pick up that gallon of milk on the way. Bye, Fi!" I ducked and ran out the door before Michael could ruffle my hair.

…

A few days later, I sat on a stool in Michael's loft doing homework, all the while texting with Kelsey so we would know if something went wrong. I had been coming to the loft after school the past couple days so I could be close to Michael if something bad happened. Michael was getting his workout in while I sat and did my homework, and Fiona had gone to the grocery store.

The last few days had gone by without a hitch. Kelsey seemed more at ease at school; apparently Jeff had been in a much better mood lately, and the end seemed like it was in sight. Michael had informed me the night before that they were now entering the stage in the plan where Sam approached Jeff as the FBI agent. Sam was meeting with Jeff at the moment, so Kelsey was home alone. Kelsey's mom was a nurse at Miami Dade Hospital, and she worked nights so she wasn't usually around.

I had just laughed at a funny message from Kelsey when Michael's phone rang. He put down the weights in his hands, and answered. "Yeah Sam… Did you scare him?" Sam answered, and I turned towards Michael so I could see his response. "Hmm, okay. We'll keep in touch with her… Okay, bye."

I raised my eyebrows, waiting for Michael to fill me in. "Sam met with Jeff, and he said it went well. Almost too well, actually. He said Jeff seemed really angry, and stormed off. Just be sure to keep in touch with Kelsey; we can never be too careful." I nodded, and turned back to my homework, happy that the plan seemed to be turning out so well.

I texted Kelsey to tell her the news: _Hey, Sam just met with Jeff. He should be on his way back now._

I went back to working on my algebra problems, and before I knew it, twenty minutes had gone by without a response from Kelsey. I was just about to tell Michael I was worried when my phone buzzed. I felt immediate relief until I read the message: _He's upset, he thinks I told someone about him. He's looking for me, I'm hiding under the bed. Please help!_

I shot off the stool and ran to Michael. "Michael, look!" I showed him the message, and he immediately grabbed the keys to the Charger off the kitchen table.

"Okay, we have to go to Kelsey's house right now." He walked out the door, but I paused.

"Wait, 'we'?" I didn't expect Michael to need my help.

"Yes. It would be weird if I came by myself. You go to the door, and tell Jeff you are coming to pick Kelsey up to work on your project. I'll be there the whole time, so nothing will happen."

We got into the Charger and had driven for a few minutes before Michael spoke again. "Hopefully we'll be able to get there before he gets to Kelsey. Lily, I'm sorry you have to be involved, but I need you to do this for me. Are you up to it?"

I was terrified of Jeff, but I nodded anyway. I would do this because Kelsey needed my help. "Yes, I can do this." I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. Before I knew it, we had pulled up to Kelsey's house.

"I can't walk up to the door with you, but I'll be right over here if you need me." I nodded and opened the door. I practically ran up to Kelsey's door because I was so nervous, and when I rang the doorbell I put on a smile.

I took a deep breath, preparing for the worst…


	4. Chapter 4

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 4

Miami, FL

_Lily Sizemore POV_

Jeff opened the door, and my heart dropped.

"Lily, what are you doing here?" He asked. His hair was all disheveled and his face was red. He looked angry.

"Well, I'm here to pick up Kelsey. We are working on our project tonight, and I offered to pick her up. My dad's waiting in the car. Is Kelsey here?" I peered into the house, trying to catch a glimpse of her.

Jeff nodded, though he looked upset still. "Yeah, she's in her room. I'll just go get her." He walked up the stairs, and I had an ominous feeling. If he knew she was in her room, then that meant he had found where she was hiding. I turned around to look at Michael, and I saw him walking back to the Charger. It looked like he had just been hanging around by Jeff's car, probably snooping around for anything we could catch him with.

It took Kelsey and Jeff a few minutes to come downstairs, and right before I was about to sprint up the stairs to see what was going on, Michael honked the horn. He could probably tell I was about to do something stupid. "Hurry up! I don't have all day!" Michael shouted from behind the wheel. I turned around and saw he was eyeing me intently from the car. Jeff must have heard, because a few seconds later, I saw him and Kelsey coming down the stairs.

She looked terrible. Her face was all red from crying, and her hair was a mess. It looked like she had a major struggle with Jeff. He put his arm around Kelsey's shoulders and said, "Kelsey was taking a nap; apparently she forgot you were working on your project today. Sorry we kept you guys waiting." I wanted nothing more than to punch Jeff right in his face right then and there, but instead I smiled.

"It's okay. Ready, Kels?" I looked at her, and she smiled. I could tell it was forced, and I couldn't wait to get away from Jeff so I could find out what happened. We walked to the Charger as fast as we dared, and as soon as we got in the car, Michael turned to us.

"Don't say anything, he's watching us." I looked towards the house, and sure enough, Jeff was watching us from the doorway. As soon as we turned the corner and were out of sight, Kelsey put her hands over her face. I was about to say something, but Michael put his hand up, and said quietly, "Just give her some time to herself. We'll talk when we get back to the loft." I nodded, and we drove in silence.

Fiona was waiting for us when we got back to the loft. She had a concerned look on her face, and I could tell she knew that something had happened. We walked up the stairs in silence, and when we went inside, Michael gestured for Kelsey to sit on his bed, and we all grabbed chairs and waited for her to speak. Kelsey crossed her legs, and put her arms around her stomach. When she didn't say anything, Michael started. "Can you tell us what happened, Kelsey?" He asked gently. Fiona was sitting on the edge of her seat, clearly upset. I couldn't even explain what I was feeling. Kelsey had gotten hurt because I had been too stupid to say something to Michael when she didn't respond for twenty minutes.

Kelsey looked up at us and took a deep shaking breath. "A couple minutes after Lily texted me, I was sitting on my bed doing homework. I thought Jeff would stay away from me because of what Lily said, but I was wrong. As soon as he walked in the door he screamed my name. He slammed the front door, and started walking around the house calling my name and searching for me. I panicked. I couldn't go out the window because it was too far of a jump, so I just hid under the bed. I texted Lily after I got under the bed. Right after I sent the text he burst into the room. In my rush to figure out where to hide I had forgotten to lock my door. I tried to keep quiet, but eventually he found me. He was so mad; I've never seen him like that. He pulled me out from under the bed and kicked me in the stomach so hard I couldn't breathe. He demanded to know if I told anyone about the drugs, but I couldn't even answer. I was still trying to breathe. He grabbed my arm and pulled me off the floor and asked me again. I said I didn't know anything and he said he didn't believe me. He threw me against the wall, and I fell down again. That's when you knocked on the door, Lily." Kelsey paused and rubbed the tears out of her eyes.

_No wonder she's grabbing her stomach like that_; I thought to myself. It was because Jeff had kicked her there. I clenched my fists, and Michael motioned for Kelsey to continue. "Nothing much happened after that. Jeff came back upstairs after a minute, and I was still lying on the floor. I had hit my head against the wall when he pushed me, and I was still a little dazed. He pulled me up by the arm, and said I should get a hold of myself before I went downstairs. He said if I told you what had just happened it would be ten times worse when I got home later. We came downstairs when we heard the car horn, and that was it." Kelsey looked down at her hands, clearly not wanting to see the looks on our faces.

I looked at Michael, and then at Fi. Michael's face was unreadable, but his fists were clenched so tight that they had turned white. Fi just looked downright murderous. I wondered what I looked like. Probably ghostly.

Fi spoke first. "Michael, she can't go back there. This is insanity; why would you leave her there in the first place?" Fi stood up and was towering over Michael's chair.

Michael stood up as well, and pointed towards the balcony. "Fi, can I speak to you outside for a minute?"

Fi nodded and shoved Michael towards the balcony. "You most certainly can, Michael." They closed the door when they got outside and I turned to Kelsey.

"Are you okay? This is all my fault. I should have told Michael the minute I felt like something was wrong." I had one job, and I had failed at it.

Kelsey shook her head. "It's not your fault. Nobody could have known this was going to happen." I just nodded, not really agreeing with her, and we sat in silence for a few minutes. I could hear Fi raising her voice outside on the balcony. Michael and Fi came in a few minutes later.

Fi sat back down, but Michael stayed standing. "Okay, here's the deal. I would say that you should sleep over here tonight, but Jeff would be too suspicious. Unfortunately, I think you're going to have to go back." Fi was glaring daggers at Michael, and I could tell she hated this plan. I suddenly had an idea.

"I'll go back with Kelsey. Kelsey could just say my parents are fighting, and ask if I can spend the night at her house. He won't hurt her when I'm there." I looked hopefully at Michael, but he shook his head.

"It's too dangerous, Lily." I cut him off before he could say anything else.

"I'll be fine. Don't you agree it's a better plan than just leaving Kelsey there tonight, knowing he'll hurt her again?"

Fi looked at Michael. "This could work, Michael. One of us will stay close to the house, and Lily can call if something goes wrong." She challenged Michael to disagree.

Michael looked at me, and I could tell he was worried. "Lily, are you sure you want to do this? I won't stop you, but just know I don't like this idea at all."

I ignored Michael, and replied, "I'm positive. What do you say, Kels?" I looked over to Kelsey. She had fallen back on the bed and had her hands over her face again.

"I guess that's okay. I just want this to be over." Fi walked over to the bed and sat down by Kelsey.

"It will be over soon. We just have to give Jeff another push." Fi had a glint in her eyes, and I could tell she was thinking of more than just a verbal push.

Michael looked over at me. "Lily, why don't you get Kelsey some ice…? Kelsey, can I take a look at your head and stomach? I would take you to the hospital, but Jeff would know." Kelsey nodded and sat up. I walked to the fridge, and got some ice packs out of the freezer. I came back to the bed just as Kelsey lifted up her shirt.

There was a large, purpling bruise right in the middle of her stomach. "Can you breathe okay? Does anything feel out of place?" I could tell Michael didn't want to make Kelsey feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah, it just hurts to the touch." Kelsey responded. Michael nodded, looking relieved.

"That's good. That means you don't have any broken ribs. Where did you hit your head?" Kelsey pointed to the back of her head, and Michael gently felt around the area for bumps. "There's a pretty large bump, it looks like you hit your head pretty hard. Do you feel dizzy at all?" I didn't know Michael knew so much about injuries like this.

Kelsey shook her head. "Not anymore. I did when it happened, but now I just have a headache."

Michael nodded and I handed Kelsey the ice packs. "Well, I have some aspirin you can take for the headache, and be sure to keep the ice on for twenty minutes. Hopefully some of the swelling will go down."

Kelsey nodded and laid back down on the bed. Michael went out by the balcony and motioned for me to come over and talk to him.

I didn't want to leave Kelsey, and Fi must have realized this. "It's okay, Lily. Go out and talk to him. I'll stay with Kelsey." She reassured me. I smiled at her and made my way out to the balcony.

Michael started talking as soon as I stepped outside. "Lily, this is very dangerous, so you need to do exactly as I say. I'm going to bug your cell phone so I can listen in on what happens in the house. I'll probably know if something happens, but call me anyways. We're not taking any chances here. I want you both out of that house at the first sign of danger."

"Okay, Michael. I really think it's going to be okay, though. Jeff wouldn't do anything with me inside the house." I tried to reassure him.

"I don't think he'll do anything either, but we still have to be prepared for it. Just tell me you'll be on your guard at all times, and I'll let you do this." Michael looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"I swear, I'll be on alert at all times tonight." Michael nodded, and I knew I had his approval.

…

Michael decided to drop us off a block away from Kelsey's house so it looked like we had walked back because my "parents" were too busy fighting to give us a ride. The whole ride over, I was panicked, but trying to reassure myself that everything would be fine. Michael kept giving me worried looks, but I pretended not to notice.

Michael pulled over about a block away from Kelsey's house and we all got out. Kelsey waited on the sidewalk while I said goodbye to Michael. I looked at the ground, not wanting to meet his eyes. He would be able to tell I was terrified about going back to that house.

Michael stood in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders. "Lily, you don't have to do this. There are other ways we can keep an eye on Kelsey."

"No, this is the best way and we both know it. I have to do this." I replied.

Michael took a deep breath. "Okay, kiddo. Remember, keep your cell phone close to you at all times, and call at the first sign of trouble. I can be there in less than a minute if I need to be." I nodded and Michael pulled me into his arms. "Stay tough, Lil." We pulled apart and I walked towards the sidewalk where Kelsey was waiting while Michael got back in the Charger.

We didn't talk much on the way back to the house, and before I knew it Kelsey was pulling out her key and unlocking the door. Jeff was waiting right by the door when she opened it. He probably heard the key in the lock.

"What are you doing here, Lily?" He asked me. Kelsey spoke before I could answer.

"Lily's parents were fighting a lot and I didn't want her to have to stay and listen to it. Can she spend the night here, Jeff?" Kelsey spoke confidently, and I was envious of how calm she was.

Jeff smiled. "Of course she can spend the night. Are you girls hungry? I was just about to make dinner."

I kept my cell phone on me the whole night, ready to dial Michael's cell if there was a problem, but nothing happened. When it was time to go to bed, I was exhausted but I didn't want to fall asleep. Kelsey fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow; she had had a rough day. I couldn't even close my eyes for a minute because I felt so wired. I could hear Jeff moving around downstairs and as long as he was still awake, I couldn't let myself fall asleep.

A few hours later, I didn't hear any noise. I was about to turn over in my sleeping bag and try to get some sleep when I heard a noise outside the door. I heard the knob turn, and through the darkness, I could see Jeff creeping through the doorway. My heart started racing, and I dialed Michael's cell under the blanket so he wouldn't see. I heard Michael answer but I wasn't about to say anything. That would alert Jeff to the fact that I was still awake. I could feel his presence right next to my head, and I tried to lay as still as possible. I hoped Michael was listening.

He knelt down next to me and whispered, "I know you're awake." I jumped and he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me up. He had his gun pointed at Kelsey's sleeping form. "If you scream, I'll shoot her. I have some questions for you."

I nodded, and tried to keep my voice steady when I answered. "What do you want to know?"

He smiled at me. "Good girl. I wanna know about your father, Johnny. Who did he tell about my business?"

I debated what to say. I knew Michael would be here soon, so what did it matter? Best to play it safe, just in case. "I don't know what you're talking about, Jeff." He frowned at me and twisted my wrist behind my back. I gasped and Kelsey stirred in the bed. He put the gun closer to her head.

"I wouldn't lie to me if I were you, girl. Tell me what I wanna know or I break your wrist and then shoot her." He twisted my wrist a little more for good measure and then went on. If he twisted any more, I was sure he would break it. "Just tell me who he told about the drugs, and I'll let you go." I didn't know what to say, but my thoughts were cut off by the sound of a gun being cocked behind us. Jeff whirled around, still gripping my wrist, and we saw Michael. He had his gun pointed at Jeff's head.

"Drop the gun, and let her go." Michael said calmly. Jeff laughed, clearly realizing he was caught, and put the gun on the ground.

He still had a tight grip on my wrist when he spoke. "Not who you said you were, eh, Johnny?"

Michael stepped closer. "Nope, guess not. I told you to let her go." Jeff let go of me and pushed me towards the bed. I fell on the bed, waking Kelsey and Jeff charged at Michael. Michael was prepared for that though, and hit him over the top of the head with his gun. Jeff fell to the ground with a loud thud, and Kelsey screamed. Michael came over to the bed and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay he's unconscious. We have to act fast before he wakes up."

Kelsey nodded frantically. "What do we have to do?"

Michael thought for a second before he spoke. "Unfortunately _we_ can't do anything. You have to call the police and tell them that Jeff attacked you when you found his drugs in the basement. You have to convince them that Jeff is crazy when he says I was in this house, because if the police find out I was here, bad things will happen. Can you do this?"

Kelsey nodded, but she looked scared. "So you have to leave me alone with him? What about Lily? What if the police don't believe me?"

"If you call the police right now, they will be here before he wakes up. Lily will have to leave as well. If they were to question the two of you separately, you wouldn't have the same answers. As for the police believing you, I can't say for sure, but once they see the bruises and the drugs it will be very convincing." Michael grabbed Kelsey's cell phone off the dresser and handed it to her.

She took a deep breath and dialed 911. After a short conversation, she hung up and we walked downstairs to wait. Michael turned to Kelsey. "We should be going. Just stay down here until the police arrive, and remember, they're on your side." Michael put his arm around my shoulders and we walked out the back door. We didn't want to risk being seen by the police.

As Michael and I walked towards the Charger, I wondered how the police would deal with Jeff. Hopefully Kelsey would be able to convince them how crazy Jeff really was. Jeff had ruined our plans by coming into Kelsey's room, but Kelsey would hopefully be able to make this work.

When we got to the Charger and started driving back to the loft, Michael tried to ease my worries. "It's going to be fine, Lily. The police don't take kindly to child abusers, and the drugs will help seal the deal. How's your wrist?"

I had forgotten about my wrist in all the commotion, but Michael never missed a beat. It was so dark in the car I couldn't tell what it looked like, but it felt swollen. "I can't see what it looks like, but it feels swollen. I guess that's to be expected though; it wasn't supposed to be twisted that far."

Michael frowned. "Hmm, I'll take a look at it when we get back to the loft. I feel like a medic; Injuries are becoming a common thing with you. I'm sorry that happened, but it looks like everything will turn out well."

I smiled wearily as we pulled into the loft. "Good thing I told grandma I would be spending the night with you."

Michael laughed as we walked up the stairs. "Yeah, she wouldn't have liked you walking in the house at 3am." When we got into the loft, I threw myself on his bed wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. It had been a long night to say the least. "Let me see your wrist, and then I promise you can go to sleep."

I groaned and held out my wrist to him. In the light it looked just as I suspected. Swollen and bruised. Michael sucked in a breath when he saw it. "Jeez, Lil! I don't think it's broken but we'll have to get you a brace tomorrow. You shouldn't use it for at least a couple days."

"Okay, sure. Can I go to sleep now?" I could barely keep my eyes open.

"Sure, Lily. You did well tonight; it was very brave of you to keep Kelsey safe." I nodded, not wanting to talk anymore and Michael pulled the blankets over me. I was asleep within minutes.

…

When I woke up the next day, Michael told me the good news. Jeff had been arrested for assault and drug possession. It looked like he was going away for a long time, and Kelsey would be safe from now on. Kelsey came over to the loft in the afternoon to thank Michael for helping out, and I could immediately tell that everything was going to go back to normal in her life now that her problem had been solved.


	5. Chapter 5

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 5

Miami, FL

_Michael Westen POV_

I aimed my gun at the target and started firing off rounds. Sam, Fi, and I were at the shooting range for our weekly target practice ritual. We were all silent for a little while as we concentrated on our targets, but I was deep in thought.

Almost a month had gone by since I had helped Lily's friend Kelsey out, and things had been relatively quiet since then. Lily's wrist had healed quickly, and she seemed very happy to be on summer break. Sam, Fi, and I took our regular jobs, and without having to worry about Lily's safety at every moment, they seemed much easier to handle. Just one minor inconvenience was that it was summer in Miami, and nearly every day was near 100 degrees. With no air conditioning in the loft or in the Charger things had definitely heated up over the last few weeks.

I kept digging into my burn notice, but I wasn't really finding out anything I didn't already know besides how serious an organization the people who burned me were involved with. Besides the burn notice, I had more pressing matters at hand: Lily's birthday. I couldn't think of what to get her, and it was just a few short days away. I was hoping Sam and Fi would be able to give me some ideas because I was drawing a complete blank at the moment.

"What are you guys getting Lily for her birthday?" I asked, hoping their ideas would help me think of something. This truly was pathetic that I couldn't think of anything to get her.

Sam answered first. "I'm getting her a new pair of running shoes. You know, so we can run together more…" Sam trailed off; he really wasn't much for exercise but I knew Lily would love a new pair of running shoes.

"Great idea, Sam. Maybe you should get yourself a pair of shoes too; it might motivate you to work out more." I joked.

Sam laughed. "Ha, I don't need more exercise, Mikey. Look at these guns!" Sam gestured towards his arms and flexed his muscles.

"Whatever you say, Sam." I replied. "What about you, Fi?" I was curious what Fi had thought of; she had an explosive reputation when it came to gifts.

Fi smiled at me mischievously. "I'm not telling, Michael. I want it to be a surprise."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Fi. I'm racking my brain for gift ideas but I'm coming up empty! Can you at least give me an idea or something you know Lily wants?" I fired a few rounds at my target in frustration.

Fiona raised her eyebrows. "Michael, you're telling me that you can't think of anything? You've known Lily for her whole life! What did you get her last year? Just start with what you know she likes."

"Well… Last year I just sent her a card. Lily's never been big on birthday things. Every time I ask her what she wants she just says she doesn't want me to go to any trouble." Lily was just never very big into birthdays, but I wanted this one to be special. Our relationship had really grown over the last year and I wanted to give her something she would like.

"Get her something for running, or a new book. I know she likes to read." Sam suggested. I had already thought of something like that, but for some reason those gifts just didn't seem thoughtful enough.

"I just want it to be something she can remember." I replied lamely. I felt like I was searching for a needle in a haystack. This gift seemed so far away. What would Larry get Lily if he was a decent father? Or Lily's mother, for that matter? We all stepped out of our stalls, and started putting our guns away.

Fi scoffed as she cleaned off her gun. "Michael, you are making this way too hard! Just think, what does Lily really want?"

After Fi shook me out of my thoughts, an idea came to me. "Wait a second. Sam, I need you to do me a favor. When Lily was talking to me about Larry, she said he burned the only picture she had of her mother. If I give you her name would you be able to track down her old file? I know she did government work." If I could get a picture of Lily's mother, it would be just what I was looking for.

Sam thought for a second. "I think I can make that happen, Mikey. I know a gal who used to be a file clerk at the agency. I can work my Sam magic on her and get your file. What's the name?"

Trying not to think about what Sam's magic entailed, I thought about what Lily's mother's name was. "I know Larry mentioned her a couple times. I'm almost positive her name was Sarah Foster. I'm not even sure Lily knows what her mother's name was."

"Okay, Mike. I'll get in touch with this woman and we'll see what we can do. Hopefully I'll be able to get you a picture." Sam replied. I was glad he seemed eager to help me out.

As we walked back to our cars, Fi smiled at me. "I knew you could think of something, Michael. Lily doesn't need anything extravagant, she just needs to know you care about her.

Sam laughed. "Could you be any more sappy, woman? You should write hallmark cards instead of running around with guns all the time!" Fi growled at Sam as he got into his car.

I smiled at Fi as she got in her car. "Thanks for the help, Fi."

…

Ring Ring! Ring Ring!

I rolled over in bed reaching for my cell phone, trying to figure out who was calling me this early in the morning. I already had a suspicion and that was confirmed when I looked at my caller ID: my mother. It rang a few more times while I debated whether or not to answer, but in the end I gave in.

"Yeah, Ma?" I answered, trying to keep my voice even.

"Michael, I need you to take me to the mall. I need to buy Lily's birthday presents and the car is in the shop getting an oil change." She started.

I groaned. "Ma, it's 7:30 in the morning! Are the stores even open yet?" I asked, hoping she didn't realize the time.

"It's Saturday, Michael! There are all kinds of early bird specials, so I need to get there early. Just come over in 15 minutes, okay?" My mother always had a way of backing me into a corner when it came to doing favors for her.

"Alright, Mom." I replied, reluctantly swinging my legs out of bed.

"Thanks, honey." She said, and then hung up. I showered and dressed quickly, and I was on my way to the house fifteen minutes later. I hoped this shopping excursion didn't take long because I had to meet Fi at her place to do some recon for a new job we had just booked. I pulled up to the house, thinking I would rather be on a five hour stake-out than go to the mall. My mother got in the car a few minutes later.

"You look tired, Michael. You're just like your father, he wasn't a morning person either." My mother started. I could feel her staring at me from the passenger's seat.

"Well, it's barely 8:00, Ma; and dad wasn't much of an any time of the day person. What are you getting Lily for her birthday?" I hoped my mother wouldn't talk about my father anymore. It was too much of a sore spot to talk about this early in the morning.

"Well… She needs new clothes, and there are some great deals today. Also, there's a new book that just came out I think she would like. It shouldn't take long; you know how Lily is about presents." I silently agreed, knowing Lily wasn't big into birthdays, and then my mother added, "It must be something she picked up from you."

"Some people just aren't into birthday's mom, it has nothing to do with me." I replied. We arrived at the mall a few minutes later, and I parked the car.

My mother huffed. "Why do you always insist on parking so far away? There were plenty of spots in the front, Michael!" She said in a whiny voice.

"I don't want any scratches on the Charger!" Even though I hated to admit it, I had grown attached to the Charger and I didn't want to pay for repairs from teenage vandalism. I preferred to save my repair money for broken windows from gunshots.

My mother chose not to respond and we made our way into the mall. I spotted an electronics store on the way in and thought of another gift idea for Lily.

"Hey, Ma I need to go to the electronics store over here. How about I meet you back here in forty five minutes?" I suggested, hoping my mother wouldn't ask me for something else.

"Sure, Michael. See you soon." My mother replied. She seemed preoccupied with a display of summer dresses in the front of the store. She walked away, and I turned around and started walking towards the electronic store. I had been trying to think of another gift for Lily, and the electronic store had triggered an idea in my head. Lily liked to listen to her iPod while she ran, but she didn't have an arm band to put it in. She usually ended up carrying it in her hand, and I always thought that seemed like an inconvenience.

I located the arm band a few minutes after I walked into the store, and fifteen minutes later I walked out, purchase in hand. I had a half hour to kill, and I was considering taking a nap in the Charger when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Sam.

"Hi, Sam. Any news on Sarah Foster?" I asked, hoping for good news.

"Well, I talked to the lady I know who works in the file department at the agency, and she said she didn't have any information on Lily's mother besides the name of an old partner. I called the old partner, and she was able to send me an old picture she had. You're not gonna believe which picture she sent, Mikey." Sam seemed really excited about the picture.

"Sam, you're a genius. What picture did she send you?" I asked, curious what it was.

"You gotta see it for yourself, Mike. I'll drop it off at the loft." Sam was being very secretive, and it made me even more anxious to see the picture. I hoped Larry wasn't in it, but Sam wouldn't be so excited if that was the case.

"Alright, Sam. I should be back in an hour or so. I'm at the mall right now taking my mom shopping for Lily's birthday presents." I replied.

Sam laughed. "Sounds like fun, brother. See you in an hour." Sam hung up and I spent the rest of the half hour I had to wait pacing outside the building. I was anxious to see the picture Sam had found, and I was hoping it would be something Lily would like to have.

My mother came outside right on time with bags in hand. "I got everything I was looking for!" She held up the bags, clearly proud of the bargains she found.

"That's great, Ma. Are you ready to go?" I asked, trying not to sound like I was in a hurry.

"Sure. What's your rush, Michael? What did you get in the electronics store?" She asked as we got into the Charger.

"I got Lily a workout case for her iPod." I replied.

"Great idea, Michael! Lily always complains about having to carry her iPod when she goes on those runs of hers. Did you get her anything else?"

"Well, I'm working on something else, but I'm not sure if it's going to work out. You'll see it tomorrow if it does." I replied vaguely. I didn't want to say I got the picture for sure until I had seen it for myself.

"I hope it's not something dangerous, Michael." My mother chided. She always jumped to drastic conclusions.

"Nothing to worry about, Ma." I replied. The rest of the drive went by without discussion, and it seemed to take forever to get back to the loft after I dropped my mother off. I took the stairs two at a time, and Sam was standing by the fridge selecting another beer when I opened the door. Fi was lounging on my bed reading a magazine, and she looked up when she heard the door.

"Take a look at this, Michael. It's really sweet." She held up the photograph I had been waiting to see, and I took it from her hands.

I looked closely at the picture, and was amazed at what I saw. It looked like the picture was taken in Europe somewhere based on the buildings in the background, and there was a woman in the front holding a smiling child in her arms. I assumed the woman holding the child was Lily's mother, because the child in her arms was unmistakably Lily. Same eyes, same hair color, and same million watt smile. Lily's mother was facing sideways and holding Lily up above her head. Her face was turned towards the camera, and so was Lily's. I smiled at Fi, knowing this was exactly what I had been hoping for. "It's perfect." Was all I could say.

Sam nodded in agreement, and Fi pulled a picture frame out of her bag. The frame was almost a perfect match for the color of the sky the day the picture was taken. "I saw the picture, and right away I knew the perfect frame to buy for it. I saw it at the store when I was shopping for my gift." Fi handed me the frame.

"Thanks, Fi." Fi nodded, and we went to work on our recon for our new job. The rest of the day, I kept thinking about the picture and how much I couldn't wait to share it with Lily.

…

_Lily Sizemore POV_

_I can't believe I'm 15_ was my first thought when I woke up on my birthday. This was closely followed by the realization that I would have to spend the day being reminded of that fact by grandma. She knew I wasn't a big fan of birthdays, but she always seemed to ignore that fact. After I brushed my teeth and got dressed, I went downstairs expecting to see grandmas smiling face but there was a note on the kitchen table instead:

Lily,

Happy Birthday!

I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things so I should be back no later than noon. I made you pancakes, they are in the oven.

Love,

Grandma

I smiled at the note, and went to the oven to retrieve the pancakes. Grandma had put them on a plate already, so I grabbed a fork and debated where to sit. I decided to go outside and sit on the front steps to eat, seeing as it was a bright and sunny day. I made my way to the front door and when I opened it, I discovered there was a package waiting for me. I put the package on the kitchen table, wanting to eat before I opened it and I continued outside.

After eating, I brought my plate back inside, excited to open the package. I'm not usually very big on birthday presents, but I had been expecting Kelsey to get me something. She was on vacation visiting relatives in Chicago, and she had texted me the day before saying she had already sent my birthday present. I ripped open the brown paper, not even bothering to look at who sent the package, and found a brown box inside. When I opened the box, there was a card on top. I opened the card, expecting a funny note from Kelsey, but what was written was something I never expected:

Lily,

Just thought you needed a little reminder of who your real father is.

See you soon,

Daddy Dearest

I shrieked and threw the card away from me. I didn't even think Larry knew when my birthday was! Not even bothering to look to see what he had given me, I ran to the front door and locked it. What if Larry was in the neighborhood and watching me right now? I was panicking as I ran up the stairs to get my cell phone. The last thing I needed right now was to be home alone. Nobody would know where I went if Larry came to take me away. I dialed Michael's cell phone, and watched out the windows for Larry as I waited for him to answer.

"Hi, birthday girl!" Michael answered when he picked up the phone. My heart leapt when I heard his voice.

"Michael, Larry sent me a birthday gift, and he said see you soon in the card. I think he's close by and grandma isn't home right now. What should I do?" I spoke quickly, and I hoped he could understand me.

"Just stay in the house, and I'll be there in five minutes. I'm sure he's just trying to scare you, Lily." Michael said calmly. I could hear him walking down stairs as he spoke, so I guessed he must have been at his loft.

"Okay, see you soon." I replied, and then hung up. I hadn't considered that Larry might have been trying to scare me, but I just couldn't believe that. Larry always had a trick up his sleeve, so I wouldn't feel safe until Michael got to the house. I went downstairs and waited impatiently by the door for Michael all the while listening for sounds of someone walking around the house.

After standing by the door for a couple minutes, I decided to step away because the anticipation was driving me crazy. I went to the kitchen and took a peek out the back door to see if I could see anyone in the backyard. The front door opened just as I stood up on my tiptoes to get a closer look outside. I practically jumped out of my skin when I heard the door, but when I saw Michael's face, I ran towards him. I practically knocked him over when I ran into his arms, and he took a couple steps back.

"Whoa there, Lily. Just calm down, I really don't think Larry is anywhere near here." Michael said reassuringly.

"Well, you didn't see the card! It was beyond creepy!" I said when I pulled away from him. I gestured towards the neglected box on the floor. "It's right there, I don't even want to look at it. This is why I hate birthdays!" Michael rolled his eyes and went to look at Larry's present. He picked up the card and read it.

"Well, I'll admit the card is a little fishy. I really don't think it's anything to worry about though, Lily. Larry has a strange sense of humor." Michael kicked the box. "What did he get you?" He asked.

"I don't know I didn't get that far. I saw the card and it freaked me out so much I didn't even look at what he got me." I replied. I knelt down and pulled out the tissue inside the box. There was a t shirt underneath the tissue. I grabbed it out of the box and opened it. It read "Daddy's Girl" on the front. I showed it to Michael and he frowned.

"Cute. New workout shirt, perhaps?" He smiled at me.

"Um, how about I just set it on fire and forget about it?" I replied. I made my way to the kitchen to get grandma's lighter, but Michael stopped me.

"You sound like Fiona, Lil. Why don't you just hold your horses and hang onto it for a little while? We can have a bonfire later with Sam and Fi of you really want to." Michael smiled, but I frowned.

"Wait, later? Why would I see Sam and Fi later?" I said this just as grandma walked in the door.

"Happy Birthday, sweetie!" She said and gave me a huge hug. The hug didn't distract me from Michael's comment.

"What do you mean I'll see Sam and Fi later?" I asked Michael again. Grandma glared at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Michael, you told Lily Sam and Fi were coming over for dinner tonight? You said I was the one who would spill the beans to Lily, and here you go blabbing about it!" Grandma waited for Michael to respond.

"Ma, I'm sorry it just slipped out. It's no big deal, Lily." He said, turning to me. "We just invited Fi and Sam for a birthday dinner. We know how much you hate birthdays…" Michael replied defensively.

I spoke before grandma. "I don't hate birthdays, I just hate when people make a big deal about them. Is it just Sam and Fi?" I asked, hoping that was it.

Michael smiled and ruffled my hair. "Yeah it's just Sam and Fi. It's really not a big deal, Lily."

I ducked away from Michael's hand and grandma cut in. "Lily, there's a package for you at the door. I would have brought it in but I couldn't carry it with all these bags." Grandma said as she started unloading her groceries.

I looked at Michael. "I'm not opening it."

Michael laughed. "Oh come on, Lil!" He walked to the door and came back with a package in hand. "It's from Nate. Will you open it now?"

I hesitated. "What if someone put Nate's name on it because they knew I would open it?"

Michael raised his eyebrows. "Since when did you become so paranoid? This is for sure from Nate; I recognize the handwriting."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the package out of his hands. "You should talk, you're the most paranoid person I know!"

I ripped the little box open, and saw there was a small note inside:

Lils,

Sorry I couldn't make it to Miami for your birthday, here is a little something to make up for it!

Love from your favorite Westen,

Nate

I laughed at the note and pulled the present out of the box. The gift was wrapped in tissue paper, and when I unwrapped it I saw it was a keychain. The keychain was a mini flip flop sandal and it said Lily on the sole. I held it up and showed it to Michael. "It's cute, isn't it?"

"Sure is, what did the card say?" I handed him the card and walked to the kitchen to help grandma with the groceries, hoping the rest of the day wouldn't be as eventful as the morning had been.

…

"Madeline, you'll have to give me the recipe for this chicken." Fiona said as grandma cleaned up the plates from dinner. Grandma wasn't much of a cook, but my favorite thing to eat that she cooked was her ranch chicken.

"It's just ranch seasoning and bread crumbs, Fi. I'm glad you liked it. Sam, you want another beer?" Grandma asked as she put the plates in the sink.

Sam smiled. "You read my mind, Maddie." He went to the kitchen to help grandma with the dishes and after everything was cleaned up, Michael turned to me.

"Are you ready for presents, Lily?" I blushed; I hated being the center of attention.

"Sure, I guess so." I replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. I didn't want to come across as ungrateful.

"Open mine first, Lily!" Grandma said. I could tell she was excited for me to see what she bought me.

"Okay, grandma." I replied.

I wasn't surprised to find out grandma had gotten me all clothes. I was happy though, because I really needed the things she had gotten me: A couple pairs of new jeans, and some shirts. She also got me a new book that I was excited to dig into when I went to bed. I gave grandma a hug and sat back down.

Sam pushed his present towards me. "Open mine next." He said. I nodded and tore open the paper. Inside was a brand new pair of running shoes.

"Thanks, Sam! I really needed a new pair! I love these!" I exclaimed. I couldn't wait to try them out the next day.

"You're welcome, kid. Who knows, maybe I'll join you for another run one of these days." He replied with a smile. I laughed, thinking of the last time Sam had gone on a run with me. We had ended up at the liquor store.

"Sure, Sam." I said. I looked towards the remaining gifts: two square looking objects and a slightly larger box. I wondered which was from Fi and which was from Michael. Fi grabbed one of the square shaped objects and handed it to me.

"Open mine, Lily." Once I had the object in my hands I realized it was a picture frame. I ripped the paper, curious as to what picture this was. I turned the picture over and smiled at what I saw. It was taken at the beach I always ran to. Michael and I were sitting on the beach looking at the sunset. He had his arm around me, and my face was turned towards him. I could tell I was smiling about something, but I couldn't remember what. The picture must have been taken when Fi, Michael and I went for a run together a couple weeks ago.

I looked up at Fi. "Fi, it's really pretty. I didn't know you brought your camera that day." Fi smiled, and I passed the picture to Michael so he could see it.

"I didn't know you took that picture either, Fi." He laughed and it was passed around the table.

Grandma gushed over it, almost in tears. "That's just so sweet!"

Michael rolled his eyes. "Open this one first, Lily." He pointed towards the larger wrapped box. I nodded and opened it.

"It's an arm band for my iPod! Thanks, Michael I really needed one of these!" I held it up so everyone could see and then put it on the table again thinking how much fun it would be to run with my new shoes and new iPod arm band. I looked down at the last present and Michael nodded for me to open it. It felt like another picture; he seemed nervous when I unwrapped it, and I wondered what I would find.

I gasped when I saw the picture. I looked at it in awe for a few moments before I responded. "This is my mother! And me! How did you find this?"

"I had Sam look into it. I remember you saying you didn't have a picture of your mother, so I thought it would be nice to track one down." Michael smiled and I launched myself into his arms.

"Thank you so much. I love it." I looked around at everyone. "I love all the presents. Thanks everyone!"

Grandma laughed. "See? That wasn't so painful, was it?"

…

When I got in bed later that night, I couldn't stop looking at the two pictures I had gotten. They seemed so unintentionally symbolic. The one with my mother and I symbolized my old life, but the picture of Michael and I symbolized everything I had gained from meeting him so long ago. I couldn't help but think that if my mother could see how my life turned out, she would be happy.


	6. Chapter 6

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 6

Miami, FL

_Lily Sizemore POV_

"Michael, I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, I'm just saying I think strawberry yogurt is a better choice than blueberry yogurt." I waited for Michael's reply. We were in the middle of a heated debate about yogurt flavors. Grandma was having a poker party, so I was spending a few hours at the loft. We were just coming back from the grocery store because Michael had run out of yogurt, and that was when the debate started.

"I just think it's nice to have options. Besides, you're biased because all you eat is strawberry, Lily." Michael pulled the Charger into his usual spot and we got out to grab the grocery bags. I could hear the night club's music pounding, and sure enough, there was a line right in front of the entrance to Michael's loft. People from all walks of life came to the night club, and I always thought it was interesting to look at the different kinds of extravagant outfits the women wore.

"Did you see that dress? It looked like a t shirt it was so short!"

"I hope you aren't thinking of buying one just like it?" Michael asked with a grimace.

I rolled my eyes as we moved through the line to get to the gate. "Don't be ridiculous I would never wear something like that!" Michael laughed and we cut through the line so we could open the gate.

"Hey, back of the line, pal!" Michael and I paused. That voice sounded eerily familiar. I turned my head towards the direction of the voice, and Larry stepped out of the shadows. My heart just about stopped, and I made to run away but Michael grabbed my arm.

"Lily, don't make a scene or else one of these people waiting in line will get suspicious. I'll be right here the whole time, so Larry won't be able to do anything." I nodded in agreement, but Michael still kept his hand on my arm; he probably thought I might bolt at the first chance I had. Larry walked up to us, and Michael spoke first. "Larry, I see you're back from the grave again."

Larry laughed, "Well I had some unfinished business. Aren't you gonna invite me inside?" I shivered at the fake tone of Larry's voice and Michael pulled me inside the gate.

"Of course, Larry. Just hold my bag for a second, would you?" Larry gave Michael a strange look and grabbed the bag. I walked in and stood by the stairs, not quite sure what to do with myself. As soon as Michael closed the gate, he grabbed Larry and started patting him down to check for weapons.

"Oh, Michael you think I would hurt you or her? That hurts me." Larry pointed at me.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time you hurt Lily. She was a mess the last time you came to see her." Michael spoke in an agitated voice.

"That's her own fault; she got too feisty with me." Larry said just as Michael finished patting him down.

I stepped closer, not being able to keep my mouth shut anymore. "Oh, I'm sorry I got too _feisty_ with you. The next time you attack me with a knife I'll be sure to behave better." I said sarcastically, with more courage than I really had. With Michael here it was much easier to talk to Larry.

Larry smiled. "Look at you with the smart mouth! That's no way to talk to your father, Lily."

Michael cut me off before I could reply and gave me a look that clearly said _shut up_. "Wanna tell me what you're doing here, Larry?"

"Well to tell you the truth, Michael, I missed working with you. I started my freelance company and I have a little more work than I can handle. I just got a gig here in Miami and I thought you might be interested." Larry acted like it was perfectly normal for him to be coming here to ask for Michael's help.

Michael looked surprised. "You want me for a job?"

Larry laughed again. "Yes! I wanna pay you a lot of money. To kill a lady!"

"What?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Michael looked at me and then back at Larry. "Give us a second, Larry." He pulled me aside so we could speak in private. "Lily, I need to hear Larry out because someone could be in danger. I hope you don't think I would ever kill an innocent person."

"No, I don't; it's just that he acts so casual when he talks about killing people. Did you see the look on his face?" Just about everything Larry did and said disgusted me.

"Well we just have to deal with it. I'll talk to Larry for a few minutes about this job and then I'll take you back home, okay?" I nodded and we walked back to Larry.

"Why don't you come upstairs so we can talk in private, Larry." Michael gestured towards the stairs and I went up first, not wanting to be close to Larry. As soon as we got in the loft I went upstairs to lay down on the couch, not wanting to hear anything Michael and Larry were talking about.

I pulled out my phone and saw I had an unread text message from Kelsey so I started a conversation with her, hoping to get my mind off of Larry. I hated that he came here thinking it was perfectly normal after what he did to me the last time he was in town. _He'll be gone in a few days, just deal with it_, I told myself. I would just have to avoid spending time with Michael until this was all over. I heard the door slam and sat up on the couch.

Michael had his hands over his face. "He's gone now, Lily." He called up the stairs. I got up from the couch and made my way downstairs.

"Who does he want you to kill?" I asked.

Michael looked up at me. "A very unlucky woman."

"Apparently his business isn't suffering without me, huh?" In some weird way, I was glad Larry was getting along fine without me. That meant he wouldn't come asking for me to help him again.

"No, it's definitely not. Larry should only be in town for a couple days so you won't have to worry about him coming after you again, Lily. Are you ready to go home? I'm sorry he ruined the night." Michael looked apologetic.

"Yeah, sure. It's okay, you can make it up to me when this all blows over." I replied. Michael smiled and grabbed the Charger keys.

Michael didn't talk much on the way back to the house which was nice, because I wasn't in the mood for conversation. The idea of Larry being a murderer for hire was stuck in my mind and I couldn't seem to get it out. Grandma was still putting away the poker accessories when I came in the house.

"Hi, sweetie! How was your night with Michael?" She asked. I could tell she was in a good mood. She always enjoyed her poker parties.

"It was okay. My father is back in town…" I hesitated, hating the way 'father' sounded. Grandma frowned.

"So I take it that's a bad thing?" She asked questioningly.

"Well, we don't exactly get along so I would say it's a bad thing. I'm just going to do my best to avoid him." It felt good being honest with grandma about Larry.

Grandma walked over and gave me a hug. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

I put my head on her shoulder and she rubbed my back. "It's not your fault, grandma. I think I'm just gonna go to bed. Do you need any help cleaning up before I go up?" I asked. Grandma pulled away from me and shook her head.

"It's my mess, I can finish cleaning it up on my own. Thanks for the offer though, honey." I nodded and made my way to the staircase. "Sleep well!" She called as I walked up the stairs.

I was tired when I got into bed a little while later, but it still took me a long time to fall asleep. Grandma went to bed a short while after I did, and I couldn't hear any noise coming from her room so I could tell she was sleeping. I told myself to put my racing thoughts out of my head, and I was sleeping within minutes.

…

After what felt like a few hours, I felt a hand shaking me awake. I rolled over, still foggy with sleep and saw Larry staring intently down at me. I shot up in bed and he grabbed me around the waist and put his hand over my mouth before I could scream. He had his knife in the hand around my waist and I could feel it digging into my side. I kicked my legs out in an effort to get out of his grasp, but he held me easily. "Right where we left off, huh?" He whispered in my ear. I panicked and tried to get his hand off my mouth, and he responded by pushing into my side more with the knife.

"Cut it out, kid. I can use this knife for a lot more things than keeping you in line." He said menacingly. I tried to grab the knife out of his hand, but he caught my hand before I could touch the knife. He put the blade of the knife against my finger. "Stop fighting me right now or you lose a finger. The choice is yours." I stopped struggling and he took his hand off my mouth and moved away from me, knowing I was at his mercy.

"What do you want now?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even. I was breathing hard from the struggle.

Larry smiled. "I'm not here just for the job I told Michael about tonight. I need your help with another job I'm working on." He motioned for me to sit back down on the bed and I did. He sat right next to me, clearly challenging me to say no, and waited for my answer.

"What if I say I won't help you?" I asked, fearing I already knew the answer.

Larry frowned and got up from the bed. He flicked open his knife and started cleaning his fingernails on the blade. "Well that wouldn't be a very good answer, Lily. Is that your final answer? Because if it is, I would ask that you strongly consider changing your mind." He spoke in a voice like he was talking to a five year old. "You see, Grandma Westen is fast asleep in the other room so she wouldn't even hear me come in. She wouldn't wake up till it was too late, I'm afraid. I told you I'm good at killing people, kid. Wanna see me in action?" He made to open my bedroom door, but I shot up from the bed and grabbed his arm.

"I'll do it! Just don't hurt her." I said pleadingly.

Larry paused and I took my hand off his arm but he grabbed it back and pulled me close again. "Are you sure you aren't lying to me again, Lily? Because I could just as easily go over to Michael's loft and pay him a visit. Spy's need to sleep too, you know."

I shook my head frantically. "I'm not lying! Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it."

Larry smiled and put his arm around my shoulders. I fought the urge to push him off, thinking it was best not to anger him right now. "That's what I like to hear! This is what's going to happen. I'm going to give you a cell phone and you will make sure you have it at all times. When I call you, I'll tell you where to meet me and we'll do the job together!" Larry spoke excitedly, like he had been planning this for a long time.

"What's the job?" I asked. I prayed it didn't involve me killing someone. I didn't think I could stomach that.

"I need to steal drugs from a local doctor's office. You are going to go in there with me and fake an injury to distract the place while I grab the drugs. Sound easy?" I was about to answer but he spoke before me. "Oh, yeah. If I get so much as a hint that Michael finds out about this little plan of ours, I kill everyone. Understood?"

"Fine. When are we doing this?" I asked. I felt like my whole body was shaking from nerves, and I could feel the cut on my side pulsing with my heartbeat.

"Day after tomorrow, probably." He handed me a phone. "Keep this on you at all times, though. If I call at any time and you don't answer, you won't like what happens." He said threateningly.

"Okay." Was all I could say in reply.

Larry shook my shoulders. "Don't look so sad! This'll be just like old times! We can make new memories together!"

"Sure." I replied. I just wished he would leave me alone. I could barely stand up because my legs were shaking so much.

Larry took his arm off my shoulders and started backing out of the room. "Okay, okay I see the teenager needs her beauty rest. Remember what I said about telling Michael about this, kid. I'll be watching you." He ducked out of the room, and I watched to make sure he didn't go anywhere near grandmas room. As soon as the front door silently closed, I sank to the floor and broke down crying.

…

I woke up early the next day after a sleepless night. After I had finally calmed down enough to get back in bed and try to go to sleep, I could only fall asleep for about twenty minutes before I shot up in bed, thinking someone was in my room again. Knowing I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, I got out of bed and decided to take a shower. While I walked to the bathroom, towel in hand, I noticed I was really sore. It was probably from my struggle with Larry last night. My eyes started tearing up again at the thought of last night, but I rubbed them away. I wanted to tell Michael everything that was going on, but I was terrified of Larry finding out. For all I knew, he could be watching me at this very moment. I sighed, resigned to the fact that I would just have to deal with this myself if I wanted my family to be safe.

When I looked in the bathroom mirror, I looked like I hadn't slept in days. I lifted up my shirt to inspect the cut on my side and saw that it wasn't just one cut, but multiple little ones from the knife. None of them looked serious, but I would have to clean them well to make sure they didn't get infected. Who knew where Larry's knife had been all these years.

After my shower, I felt much better but I was still terrified I would spill the beans about Larry's plan. I would have to avoid Michael and grandma at all times today because I just didn't trust myself to talk to them. I could hear grandma puttering around downstairs, and debated what to do with myself. Maybe a nice long run would help me relax a little bit. I dressed quickly, and when I heard grandma come up the stairs and go into her room, I opened my bedroom door and tiptoed downstairs as quietly as I could. Before I left my room, I had grabbed the cell phone Larry had given me and put it in my shorts pocket, hoping he wouldn't call to check up on me. I made it down the stairs without a sound and I was slowly easing the back door closed when I heard a voice.

"Why are you closing the door like you don't want anyone to see you?" I jumped a mile and slammed the door by accident. Michael was standing by the garage and staring at me like I was a crazy person. My heart dropped as I looked at him and I almost broke down right there but I held it together.

"Nothing. I was just trying to be quiet." I replied, hoping he didn't notice my voice shaking.

Michael looked at me questioningly, "Huh, well what are you up to this fine morning?" I was suddenly hyperaware of the cell phone in my pocket.

I tried to act casual. "Nothing! I mean…I'm just going for a run. Ha ha…" I sure was a great actress. Not. Michael came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder; I felt like he saw right through me and I fought the impulse to throw my arms around him and tell him everything.

"Are you okay, Lil? You seem nervous about something." He looked at me but I couldn't look him in the eyes. I was sure everything would come pouring out if I made eye contact.

"Fine. Totally fine." I replied with a smile.

"Are you worried about Larry? He's not going to bother you. I promise." Michael squeezed my shoulder in reassurance. _If you only knew_, I thought to myself.

I shook my head frantically, "It has nothing to do with Larry, I'm just a little tired. That's all. I should go though…see you later, Michael." I tried to keep the hysteria out of my voice, but I could tell I wasn't doing a very good job. I shook his hand off my shoulder and walked towards the gate.

"Okay, bye." Michael said. I hoped he bought my story, but I couldn't risk sticking around to find out. I started running as soon as I got on the sidewalk and after a few blocks I could feel myself starting to relax, but the overwhelming tension was still there. I had been so close to telling Michael everything and I hated to think about what would have happened if Larry found out.

I felt the cell phone jostling around in my pocket as I ran and I wished I could throw it on the ground and stomp on it a few times for good measure. Larry probably had it bugged and was listening to everything I was saying. I could only hope that the job went well the next day and Larry would just leave without asking me to do anything else. I wished I could just move on and forget about this whole situation.

I ran and ran thinking about all sorts of things. How could I have been naïve enough to think that Larry would just leave town without trying to get me to do something for him? I thought about trying to give Michael a hint about what was going on, but I couldn't think of what to say without tipping Larry off as well. I just had to accept the fact that Michael couldn't bail me out of this one to matter how much I wished he would.

When I got back to the house, I realized I had been running for two hours. I hoped Michael was gone because I couldn't face lying right to his face again. Fortunately, Michael had left and I was greeted with the strange sight of grandma planting flowers in the backyard. She must have picked up this new hobby within the last couple days. No doubt the flowers would be dead next week. I said a quick hello and went inside to take a shower.

Just as I stepped out of the shower, I heard the cell phone ring. I bolted back to my room, still dripping wet, and picked up the phone on the third ring. "Hello?" I answered, a little breathless.

"Just calling to check up on my partner in crime. I saw you running and I must admit I was impressed. A daughter of mine who likes to exercise? Imagine that!" Larry's voice was ever cheerful and I fought the urge to scream at him.

Instead I said, "Imagine that." I just hoped he wasn't planning on having a long conversation.

"You did well this morning, not blabbing to Michael about our little arrangement," Larry went on. "I thought you would go crying to him, but I guess I was wrong about you."

"I'm so glad to hear that you're happy. That makes one of us. Anything else?" I asked, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"Yeah, one more thing sweetie. Meet me tomorrow at 1:00 by the gas station on Cherry Boulevard. Got it?"

"Fine, I'll be there." I replied.

"I'm sure you will." Larry said smugly, then hung up. I threw the cell phone to the other side of my room then put my hands over my face and collapsed into bed.

…

A/N: has anyone ever heard the song _Jar of Hearts_, by Christina Perri? If you don't think of it as a breakup song, I think it relates to Lily's relationship with Larry. Anyways… Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 7

Miami, FL

_Lily Sizemore POV_

The next day, my nerves were shot with all the anticipation of what I would do at 1:00. I was so nervous I couldn't sit still so I started cleaning the house. I cleaned my room, then vacuumed the hallways, cleaned the kitchen, mopped the floors, and took the garbage out. Grandma was pleasantly surprised, to say the least.

"You're working like a housewife on speed, Lily." She laughed as I scrubbed the stove.

"I'm just bored, grandma." I replied, trying to sound normal.

"Well I wish you were bored more often, sweetie." I laughed halfheartedly and she kissed me on the cheek. "Don't work too hard," she said before walking away.

I continued cleaning up until I couldn't put off getting ready to leave any longer. At 12:45, I dressed and told grandma I was going to meet Kelsey at her house. I walked swiftly to the gas station and sure enough, Larry was waiting outside a green sedan. He smiled as I walked up. "You ready, kid? This is gonna be so much fun!" He was positively vibrating with excitement. After all, he had his favorite cover id back. Me.

All I could do was grimace back at him as I got into the passenger side of the car. Larry kept up the conversation as we drove. "So, did you get your driving permit yet?" He asked, cheerfully.

"Um, not yet I'll get it when school starts. It's summer right now." I replied lamely, trying to be conversational. I was so nervous I was ready to explode with anticipation. Or vomit. I wasn't sure which would happen first.

"You'll probably be a pretty good driver. Especially if it runs in the family."

"I'm not sure driving skills are genetic, but Michael is a good driver so I guess I'll learn from the best." I replied, trying to emphasize the fact that I didn't consider Larry my family.

Larry laughed, clearly getting the hint. "You know, Michael isn't the Boy Scout you think he is," he looked over at me with a smile. "I taught him everything he knows, whether he acknowledges that or not."

"Whatever," I replied, not trusting myself to say anything else. The rest of the car ride passed in tense silence and before I knew it we pulled into a parking lot across the street from the doctor's office. We got out of the car and Larry motioned for me to follow him to the back of an alley where there was no one around. I felt nervous being alone with him in such an isolated spot, but I tried to look confident.

"Okay here's the drill. I need you to distract the place for a few minutes while I grab the drugs I need, then we'll leave unnoticed. Got it?" I just nodded. It seemed easy until I started thinking about what I could possibly do to distract a room full of people.

"What should I do to distract everyone?" I asked Larry. He seemed to ponder my question for a while and then he nodded his head.

"I'll help you out with that." In a flash, he pulled a gun out of his back pocket and hit me over the head with it. I had turned my head just in time, so the blow landed right on my temple. I fell to the ground like a ton of bricks, feeling instantly dazed and seeing stars. I could feel blood trickling down my face, but before I could put my hand to my temple to feel for the cut, Larry scooped me off the ground and started walking towards the doctor's office.

"Ow," was the only word I could form as I was jostled around in his arms.

"That's right, kid. You fell off your bike and hit your head on the sidewalk. If you say anything different, I won't be pleased. Got it?" Larry said as he walked. His voice sounded funny, like we were underwater. I could only nod, still not able to form a coherent sentence because I was so dazed. I had never had a concussion before, but I was pretty sure this is what it felt like.

I blinked and the next time I opened my eyes, Larry was stepping out of an elevator. The door to the doctor's office was right in front of us and before he kicked it open, Larry shook me around in his arms and I looked up at him, doing my best to focus on his face. "Your name is Mary and I'm your concerned father. Got it?" I did my best to nod at him, but his face was swimming in and out of focus in front of me. I felt like throwing up. I guessed Larry took my nod as a yes because he kicked open the door.

"Oh God! Somebody help!" Larry shouted. He put me down on the ground and leaned over me with a concerned look. I looked around the little office and saw we were the only ones there besides the nurse at the front desk. I tried to sit up, but Larry pushed me down with a warning look.

"I'll go get Doctor Fisher!" The nurse said after shooting up from the desk and running towards the back room. My head felt so fuzzy I could barely remember the name Larry gave me.

"Where's Michael…?" I said feebly as I closed my eyes, just wanting to sleep. Larry suddenly grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently.

"Stop it; you'll ruin this for me if you don't straighten out. You're name is Mary, kid. Now don't forget it." Larry's voice was so menacing I shrunk away from him.

The doctor appeared hovering over me a second later. "What happened?" He asked Larry.

"We were just riding our bikes and Mary fell off and hit her head." Larry put his hand on my head as he said this. "What's wrong with her?"

The doctor put his hand on Larry's chest, "Just step away, sir. I need to examine her." Larry backed out of my field of vision and the nurse and doctor took his place, both staring down at me intently.

"Can you tell me your name?" The doctor asked. The room was spinning but I tried to focus on his face.

"L – Mary," I said, trying to avoid his eyes. He shined a light in my eyes and said something to the nurse I couldn't hear. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and go to sleep but the doctor kept shaking me awake every time I did. He started prodding around the cut on my head and I put my hand up to shake him away, but Larry's hand shot out and grabbed me. I tried to pull away but he held on tight.

"Is she okay?" Larry asked, still playing his part. No doubt he had just stolen the drugs he wanted.

"She has a concussion, she needs to go to the hospital." The doctor said, shaking me again as I closed my eyes.

"Okay, I'll take her. Let's go, sweetie." Larry said and went to pick me up again.

The doctor put his hand on Larry's arm to stop him. "Sir, I strongly suggest we call 911. It would be safer for the girl if an ambulance picked her up." The doctor said.

Larry scooped me up and I tried to push myself out of his arms, not wanting to be near him, but he held on to me. "Oh no, I'll take her myself." Larry assured the doctor as he carried me out of the office.

"I just wanna go home." I said weakly as soon as the elevator door closed.

"Sure kid, just shake it off. You'll be fine." I didn't say anything, knowing this wasn't something I could just shake off. I closed my eyes again, and this time no one stopped me from falling asleep.

…

_Michael Westen POV_

After my failed attempt at shooting Larry on the roof, I decided to follow him to make sure he was really leaving Miami. I had a strange feeling something more was going on, and it began after my conversation with Lily the other day. When we had talked, she hadn't been acting herself and it had been plainly obvious. I told myself she was just stressed from Larry's reappearance, but I couldn't put the conversation out of my head.

While I tailed Larry, I had to stay extra far behind his sedan because the Charger was so obvious. Because I had to stay so far back, eventually I lost sight of him. I called my mom's house to check up on Lily as I searched for Larry's car. My mom answered the phone in an annoyed voice, "Hello?"

"It's me, mom. Where's Lily?" I asked, trying to not sound panicked even though I was suddenly expecting the worst.

"Michael, I'm in the middle of my yoga video, why wouldn't you just call her cell phone? Lily went to Kelsey's house. She just left about a half hour ago. Did you need to talk to her?"

My stomach dropped. Last week Lily had mentioned that Kelsey would be on vacation for the entire summer. Something was going on and I was sure Larry was involved. I didn't want to worry my mom so I spoke in a chipper voice, "Tell her to call me when she gets back, okay? I gotta go, mom. Bye!" I hung up before my mom could engage me in a long conversation.

I continued to drive down more and more streets, scanning for the green sedan. I was getting increasingly more panicked and frustrated when finally, about twenty minutes later, I got lucky. The green sedan was parked in a dingy looking strip mall. _What's he doing here?_ I thought to myself as I pulled the Charger into a spot not too far away from Larry's car. The strip mall seemed pretty run down, and I looked across the street and saw there was a medical suite with a doctor's office and a dentist's office. I got out of the Charger and paced around, looking for signs of a struggle. The whole situation felt eerie, and I was itching to pull out my gun so I was ready if anything were to happen. I turned to stare into the windows of the strip mall, but whirled around when I heard Larry's voice right behind me. "I'm so glad you're here, Michael! I need to leave town right away, and I need someone to pick up the pieces."

My heart dropped when I saw Lily in Larry's arms. She was unconscious, and she had blood running down her head from a cut on her temple. At that moment, I realized that a plan had been in the works that I knew nothing about. That was why Lily acted so strange yesterday. "What the hell did you do, Larry?" I asked. I reached behind my back and pulled my gun out, ready to fire at any moment. At the sound of my voice, Lily stirred in Larry's arms, and turned her head to the side just in time to vomit all over Larry's shoes.

Larry held Lily away from his body in disgust. "Damn it, kid!"

I grew even angrier than I already was after seeing Lily vomit because I knew that was one of the symptoms of a concussion. "Larry, she has a concussion, you should never have let her fall unconscious!" I snarled at him.

Larry rolled his eyes. "Relax, Michael. I needed her like this for a little job I had to do. She'll be fine! It's not like I've never hit someone over the head before." He talked so casually it made me sick. I pulled my gun out from behind my back, and Larry took a step back.

"This is over, Larry. You're a sick man, hurting your own daughter like this." I stepped closer, forcing Larry to make a move.

He smiled evilly. "Fine, you get to choose, kid. Kill me or save the girl. We seem to be in this predicament a lot lately…what's it gonna be?" Larry set Lily on her feet, knowing she wouldn't be able to stand on her own. I had to react quickly to catch her before her head hit the pavement. I repositioned Lily so she wouldn't fall, and looked around for Larry. I dropped my gun because of the sudden movement and Larry bolted before I could pick it up again. I couldn't risk shooting him after he ran because there were civilians walking around going about their normal business. Larry would get away yet again.

I looked down at Lily, and saw she had her eyes closed again. Almost falling head first onto the cement hadn't appeared to make her any more alert. I tried not to let myself panic, but Lily seemed extremely out of it. Praying she would perk up sometime in the near future, I gently shook her in my arms while I walked swiftly back to the Charger. "Lily, you can't fall asleep again. I know you're tired, but you just have to fight it, okay?" I tried to keep my voice calm, but I was panicking. I had no idea what Larry had done to her, so I didn't know how severe Lily's concussion was.

She opened her eyes, but they looked unfocused. Happy that she was trying to stay awake, I put her in the passenger's seat and ran around the front to the driver's seat. I pulled the car out, and drove towards the loft. I couldn't take Lily to the hospital because I had no idea what had happened to her. It was obvious that Larry had hit her over the head with something, but I didn't want the people at the hospital to ask a lot of questions I couldn't answer.

I looked over at Lily and saw her eyes were closed again. "Lily!" I shook her shoulder and her eyes shot open.

"What?" She said. I was glad she responded this time.

"We're almost at the loft. Just try to stay awake, okay? You're going to be fine." We drove in silence the rest of the way, and Lily seemed to perk up a little bit just as we pulled through the gate to the loft. I was glad that Lily was becoming alert again, because this was a sign that her concussion wasn't as severe as I thought. I got out and closed the gate so we wouldn't have any unexpected visitors, and lifted Lily out of the car.

"I'm fine." She protested as we walked up the stairs. I almost rolled my eyes, but I held back.

"No, you're not. I'm glad you're talking to me now, though." I shifted Lily in my arms so I could open the door, and once I was inside, I set her down on the bed. She immediately put her hands over her face, and I could tell she was in pain.

"Oh, God. It's like there's a jackhammer pounding at my skull…" Lily ran her hands through her hair. I grabbed her hands and gently lowered them onto her lap.

"Try not to touch your head so much. Just sit still. I'll get you some Tylenol. Do you know what Larry hit you with? That bump on your head is really something, Lil." I went to the kitchen to get some Tylenol and a glass of water for her while she thought about it. I also grabbed a clean washcloth and wet it, so I could clean the dried blood off her head. I stood by the sink for a couple seconds, trying to keep my emotions under control; I couldn't let Lily see I was worried because it would scare her.

"I think it was his gun. I just remember falling and then waking up in the elevator." I just nodded, thinking I would ask for more details later after she'd had a chance to sleep it off. I handed Lily the Tylenol and glass of water and after she took the pill, she laid back down on the bed looking like she wanted to go to sleep.

"You can go to sleep after I clean up that cut on your head, okay?" She went to sit up again but I put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to get up; I can reach it from here." I sat on the bed next to her and gently started cleaning the dried blood off her face. The actual cut turned out to be fairly small, but head wounds tend to bleed a lot so I wasn't too surprised. The bruise that was developing on her temple would surely not be small though.

After I finished cleaning the cut, I wasn't surprised to notice Lily had already fallen asleep. I pulled her shoes off her feet, being careful not to wake her, and covered her with a blanket telling myself for the thousandth time that it was okay for her to fall asleep, and she would be fine. I gave myself a couple minutes to calm down before I decided to do anything else. Who knew what would have happened to Lily had I not been there today. Larry probably would have left her on the side of the road; she helped him out and that was all he cared about. I sighed, thinking there was no sense thinking about the past, and I smoothed Lily's hair back and kissed her forehead where it wasn't bruised, and then walked out to the balcony to call my mother, Sam, and Fiona.

…

"So you didn't get any sort of hint about what happened?" Fiona looked at me like I was crazy. She was sitting on my bed next to Lily, holding an ice pack to her head while she slept. She and Sam had arrived at the loft about fifteen minutes after I called. My mother had also come over to the loft, and she was out on the balcony chain smoking to pass the time. Lily had been asleep for about two hours, and wasn't showing any signs of waking up anytime soon.

"No, I was looking in the strip mall for signs of a struggle, and when I turned towards the medical building, Larry was just there with Lily in his arms. He must have been in the medical building because there was nothing else around there." I was glad my mother was out on the balcony because I couldn't stand her questions in addition to Sam's and Fiona's.

Sam took a sip from his beer before he spoke. "Maybe he needed drugs. Chances are he didn't need anything from that dentist's office." I nodded.

"That's what I'm thinking. We'll see what Lily remembers when she wakes up." I glanced over to the bed. I had been itching to shake Lily awake for an hour now, but I had stopped myself, knowing she was better off sleeping.

Fiona stood up from the bed and brought the ice pack back to the freezer. "You should have shot that son of a bitch back on the roof earlier." She said menacingly as she slammed the freezer door. She sat on the kitchen stool next to Sam and huffed in frustration.

I rolled my eyes in frustration. "I didn't have the shot, Fi. There's nothing I can do about it now." I wished I could forget about my hesitation, but I couldn't put it out of my mind. Larry and I had been partners for a long time before he disappeared, and I just hadn't been able to face killing him. I was shaken out of my thoughts by a cell phone ringing. I didn't recognize the ring tone, and I looked at Sam and Fi questioningly.

They shook their heads, and I realized the sound was coming from the bed. Lily must have had her phone in her pocket. I went over to the bed and pulled the ringing phone out of Lily's pocket, taking notice that it wasn't the phone I had given her. The number said unknown, but I had a feeling who was calling. "Hello?" I answered, waiting to hear Larry's voice.

"This isn't my daughter; I must have dialed the wrong number!" Larry's voice was back to its usual sarcastic tone. I stepped outside the front door before I answered because I didn't want to wake Lily.

"Oh no, Larry. This is the right number. Your daughter can't come to the phone right now; she's sleeping off a concussion. Remember?" I said loudly. I had already lost my temper a few hours ago.

"Oh, Michael you're still hung up on that? I think you're just upset because I went behind your back with this whole thing." Larry teased.

"You're a hell of a guy, Larry. How did you get Lily to do it?" I asked; this was one of the many questions I had about this whole situation.

"Well, it really wasn't that hard. I'll let her tell you the story, but I think she just really wanted to help her old man out. The whole operation went by without a hitch, though! The kid still has it, you should have seen her!" Larry reminisced.

I fought the urge to slam the phone on the ground. "I think I saw enough. Tell me something, Larry; was it easy to slam your gun into your own daughters head?"

Larry laughed. "No, that was actually the hardest part; you know how it is, picking just the right spot so you know there won't be permanent damage. What was way too easy was carrying her around after that. She probably barely weighs 100 pounds! Just like her mother."

"Well, I hope you got what you wanted, Larry. The next time I see your face in Miami, don't expect me to give you a free pass again." I threatened.

"Whatever you say, kid. I just hope you know that wasn't the last time I'll see my daughter. Tell her I said hi, and I can't wait for our next meeting." Larry hung up the phone and I smashed it on the ground in disgust. I stood outside for a little while, trying to reign my temper back in. What could I possibly say to Lily to make her feel safe again? I had no idea how Larry had gotten to her, but I was guessing it wasn't exactly a happy meeting. I was desperate to hear what had happened, but I would just have to wait for Lily to wake up.

When I walked back in to the loft, Sam and Fi looked at me expectantly for news. I sighed, "It was Larry. I don't know anything new besides the fact that he feels no remorse for what he did. I destroyed the phone, so we don't have to worry about it anymore." I looked at the bed and Lily was still sound asleep, dead to the world.

Fi sighed and got up from her stool. "Do you think she's going to wake up anytime soon?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so. She probably didn't get much sleep the past few nights and the head injury didn't help her at all either. You guys should go home. I'll call you in the morning once I find out the details."

Fi nodded, and Sam also stood up. "Call us if you need anything, Mikey." Sam clapped me on the shoulder and walked out, and Fi gave me a rare kiss on the cheek before she left. I walked out on the balcony to see how my mother was doing after they left.

She was leaning over the railing with her cigarette when I went to stand next to her. "How is she? Are you sure she should be sleeping, Michael? Because I heard something about sleeping and concussions…" I could tell she was stressed.

"She's still sleeping, and I'm positive it's perfectly fine. I know a little bit about these kinds of things mom." My mother nodded and turned back towards the railing. "Ma, you don't have to hang around here; I'll call you as soon as she wakes up." I put my arm around her shoulder.

"Michael, what am I going to do with her? Do I have to add worrying about Lily's safety to the list of other things I worry about now?"

"I don't know, Mom. I wish I could tell you she'll never get hurt again, but you just never know." I said lamely. It seemed like I had no answers for any questions tonight.

My mom looked up at me and smiled. "She's turning out to be just like you, Michael. I don't know how I feel about that, but I guess I just have to live with it. She can't be a part of your life and not be in danger."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I never wanted this for either of you, but this is just the price we have to pay for me being here." I wanted a normal life for Lily, but that just wouldn't happen with me in the picture. Maybe she was doomed the day I took her in.

"Lily prefers it this way, Michael. Promise you'll call when she wakes up?" I nodded and my mother made her way inside the loft. She kissed Lily on the cheek and then closed the door quietly on the way out. After she left, I finally felt like I could relax. I had been bombarded with questions I couldn't answer from the minute I called my mother, Sam, and Fi, and I was thankful for the quiet. It was dark in the loft, so I turned on the lamp next to my bed and went to grab the ice pack from the fridge. I hoped if we were vigilant with the ice, the bruise on Lily's head wouldn't be quite so massive. I sat next to Lily for the rest of the night, constantly nodding off but waking up minutes after I had fallen asleep. I was itching to wake Lily up, just to see her conscious after being asleep for so long, but I stopped myself.

Lily finally woke up around 6:00am and it was a relief to see her eyes open. She said one word: "Michael?" I have never been more relieved to hear my name come out of her mouth because it told me Lily would be alright and for now, things would go back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be.


	8. Chapter 8

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 8

Miami, FL

_Lily Sizemore POV_

I rolled over in my bed and felt a sharp pain when the side of my head hit the pillow. I put my hand to my head to feel for what hurt, and I could feel a sizeable bump by my temple. Memories of the previous day came flooding back and I sat up in bed, still keeping my hand on my head. I opened my eyes expecting to see my room, but I saw the surroundings of Michael's loft instead. "Michael?" I had completely forgotten he had found me yesterday outside the doctor's office with Larry.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Michael was sitting right next to me. "Welcome back to the land of the living." I took my hand off my head and looked around for a clock.

"Oh, God. How long have I been asleep?" I asked. I swung my logs over the side of the bed, but Michael put a hand out to stop me.

"Just relax for a few minutes before you jump out of bed, Lily. You've been asleep since I brought you here yesterday afternoon. It's 6am right now. Do you remember coming here yesterday?" He looked at me, and I thought back to yesterday.

"I remember throwing up on Larry's shoes, and then being in your car… Oh yeah, you gave me the Tylenol and then I went to sleep. Am I missing anything?" I hoped I hadn't been totally out of it yesterday.

"Um, not anything important. I'm just glad you're finally awake." I frowned, and Michael pulled me into his arms. "It's okay if you don't remember every detail, Lily. That's what happens when you get hit in the head." He rubbed my back and I tried to hold the tears in.

"Michael, grandma doesn't know about this! She thinks I'm at Kelsey's house… I lied to her again." I trailed off, thinking of the lies I told her yesterday.

Michael pulled away from me and got up from the bed. "I called grandma, Sam, and Fi right after you fell asleep yesterday afternoon. I told them as much as I knew, which wasn't much, and they all came over here. They stayed for a couple hours, but after it was clear you weren't going to wake up, they left." Michael walked over to his green chair and sat down.

"They were all here? I really was out of it." Michael nodded while he rubbed his eyes. He must have been up all night with me. I looked away, embarrassed.

Michael looked back my way, and seemed to contemplate for a little while before he spoke. "Lily, I need to know what happened. How did Larry get to you?"

I sighed, knowing he would want to know every detail. "Can I take a shower first? I'm wearing the same clothes as yesterday and I feel disgusting." I paused before I spoke again. "I wanted to tell you what was going on, I just couldn't." I remembered the terror I had felt the other day when I was talking to Michael before my run and I shuddered.

"Go ahead, take a shower. I'm glad you want to tell me what happened; I'll inform everyone you're awake while you clean up." Michael got up from the chair to grab his cell phone.

"I know grandma deserves to know what happened as well, but I…" I looked a Michael, unsure of what to say.

"I know, would you like me to tell her what happened later? I can tell Sam and Fi later as well." I nodded; relieved I wouldn't have to tell the story to four different people. I got out of the bed and stretched, trying to ignore the pounding in my head, and walked up the stairs to grab a change of clothes.

Once I got in the bathroom, I was shocked at what I saw. I was expecting a huge bruise from where Larry had hit me, but not this. It was still fairly swollen, and a very dark blue. I also had a black eye. I looked like I had been in a fight. Deciding I didn't want to look in the mirror anymore, I hopped in the shower.

When I exited the bathroom fifteen minutes later, I felt refreshed, but still felt like there was a truck rolling around inside my head. I walked towards the kitchen and saw Michael had put a glass of water and a Tylenol on the counter. After I popped the pill, I saw him walk in from the balcony, cell phone in hand. "Feeling better?" He asked.

"Yeah, but my face looks terrible. Why do I have a black eye?" I was hoping I wasn't forgetting something that happened.

"It's just drainage from the bruise on your temple. Don't worry, you didn't get punched in the face at any point last night." He smiled and I sat down on a kitchen stool. Michael stood in front of me on the other side of the counter and leaned against it, waiting for me to begin.

I sighed, not looking forward to telling him all that had happened. "Okay, just promise me you'll give grandma a lighter version of this?" Michael nodded, so I continued. "Larry came to the house in the middle of the night after we had first seen him outside the club. He shook me awake and grabbed me before I could run away. I tried to get away and get to grandma, but he threatened me with the knife." Michael stood up from the counter and walked around to sit next to me.

"Where?" He asked, and I knew what he was talking about. I lifted up my shirt and showed him the shallow cuts on my side.

"No big deal, I took care of it." I assured him. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but I cut him off. "Anyways, I asked him what he wanted and he said he needed me for a job. I asked what would happen if I refused, and then he threatened me. He said he would kill grandma if I said no. He moved towards the door like he was going to do it right then. I panicked and grabbed his arm and said I would do it. He didn't believe me; he said if I was lying to him he could easily come over to the loft and kill you while you were sleeping. I assured him I wasn't lying and I asked him what the job was. He said he needed to steal drugs from a doctor's office, and I needed to distract the place while he did it. I agreed and he gave me a cell phone and told me to have it on me at all times. I asked when we were going to do the job and he said day after tomorrow. He left shortly after." I paused and waited for questions.

"Did he say what kind of drugs he needed to steal?" Michael asked.

"No, he didn't say." I replied.

"Okay, what happened the next day?" He asked, waiting for me to continue.

"Well, I got up early since I barely slept at all after Larry left. I puttered around for a little while, and then I decided to go for a run. I needed to get away because I was terrified I would tell someone what had happened the night before. I snuck out when grandma was in her room because I didn't want her asking a lot of questions. I almost made it out of the house when you saw me. You kept asking me what was wrong and I wanted to tell you so bad, but I was scared Larry would know. I ran for two hours after you talked to me because I wanted to get away from the house. When I got back, Larry called. He said he was glad I didn't come crying to you, and I had to meet him at 1:00 the next day by the gas station." I paused and Michael cut in.

"Larry probably had your cell phone bugged, Lil. It was good you didn't tell me; there's no telling how he would have reacted and I wouldn't have been able to protect you."

"I know. By the next morning, I couldn't even sit still. I cleaned the whole house and grandma kept asking me what had gotten into me, but I just shook her off. I told her so many lies yesterday, Michael. I feel terrible. A little before 1:00, I told grandma I was going to Kelsey's house, and I went to meet Larry at the gas station. He was waiting for me, and we made small talk in the car on the way to the doctor's office." I paused and looked up at Michael. "He said you weren't the Boy Scout I thought you were. He said he taught you everything you knew. Is that true?" I prayed it wasn't.

Michael sighed. "I won't lie to you, Lily. Larry taught me a lot when we were partners. I did some things I regret doing when I was with him, and I can't take that back. Larry has a personality that attracts danger, and I guess that's what I liked about working with him."

I didn't really know what to say. "Huh. I guess I just never thought of you two as partners."

"After you came along, everything changed. I would never go back to working with Larry, Lily. You don't have to worry about it." I could tell Michael was done talking about that subject, so I went on.

"Well, we arrived at the doctor's office shortly after that, and Larry parked across the street. He pulled me into an alley so we could talk in private, and he explained what I had to do. He said I had to distract the place for a few minutes, and when I asked him what I needed to do, that was when he hit me over the head. I didn't see it coming because I was looking the other way, but I guess I was lucky I had my head turned. I don't remember anything specific that happened after that, it's just bits and pieces; I must have blacked out a couple times. I woke up to the sound of your voice. I was so nauseous; I threw up on Larry's shoes. I remember him setting me on my feet and then you were there to catch me. How did you find us?" I asked. Michael knew the rest of the story, so I didn't go on. I wished I could remember what had happened in the doctor's office, but it was all blank.

"I tailed Larry after we finished our job because I was worried. The conversation I had with you the other day made me uneasy, so I wanted to make sure he left. I lost him because I had to stay so far back in the Charger, so I called grandma to ask where you were. I knew something was wrong when she said you were at Kelsey's house because you had told me Kelsey was on vacation. It took me about twenty minutes to find Larry's car, and when I did, you two came out of the doctor's office shortly after." He paused. "I was so worried. I had no idea what had happened to you; I just knew you had a concussion. All you wanted to do was sleep and I wouldn't let you because I didn't know how severe it was. I was relieved when you finally came out of it a little bit, and that's why I let you go to sleep when we got to the loft."

"What happened to the phone?" I had checked my pockets in the bathroom and wondered where the phone Larry had given me had disappeared to.

Michael hesitated. "Larry called while you were sleeping. I answered the phone and after we talked, I destroyed it."

I felt my stomach drop. "What did he say?"

"Lily, it's not important. I don't want to worry you." I stood up from the chair, upset.

"Michael, I just told you every detail of what happened to me. Just tell me what he said!" I put my hands on my hips, waiting for his response.

"He told me that yesterday wasn't the last time he would ever see you. He told me to tell you he said hi, and he can't wait till he sees you next." I just gaped at Michael like a fish, and he pulled me into his arms. "Lily, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I didn't think Larry would come near you after last time, and I was wrong."

"So, when can I expect his next visit?" I asked. How could I ever sleep at night, knowing that Larry was out there, waiting for another opportunity to threaten me, or worse?

Michael shrugged. "I wish I could give you an answer, but you just never know with Larry. It won't be like this time, though. We'll have a signal if you get into trouble." I laughed, thinking it was funny that we needed to go to these extreme measures to protect me from my own father.

"Okay, sounds good. I'll just ask you how that raspberry yogurt you bought at the grocery store tasted." I smiled, remembering our conversation from a few days ago.

Michael laughed. "Whatever you say, kiddo. I just want you to feel like you can tell me if something is wrong. Are you ready to go home now? Grandma is probably itching to get her hands on you."

I nodded and got up from the chair. "Will you stay at the house tonight?" I asked hesitantly. I knew Michael was busy, but I just couldn't face being alone all night, even if I knew grandma was there.

Michael put his arm around my shoulder. "Of course I will. After I explain things to grandma, I have a few other things to do today, but I will be back at the house tonight. I wouldn't leave you alone, Lil."

"Thanks, Michael. I know it's stupid, but I just feel better when I know you're there." I replied. I went to pick up my dirty clothes and we were out the door.

"It's not stupid, Lily." Michael said as he started the car. "You were attacked while you were sleeping the other night. Nobody wants to be alone after that. I'll stay at the house for as long as you need me to."

I smiled and put my head against the window, knowing I would feel safe tonight.

…

The rest of the day went by relatively normally. Grandma freaked out when she saw my face, but after Michael had explained what happened, she seemed to calm down. I think she knew I just wanted to forget about it (well, the parts I remembered) so she let it go. Michael left shortly after, promising he would be back later in the day. He also reminded me that I needed to keep icing my head to help some of the swelling to go down. After Michael left, I spent the rest of the day on the couch watching TV, and icing my head. It wasn't very exciting stuff, but grandma was there to keep me company the whole time. Even Sam and Fiona stopped by to visit; Fiona brought me flowers and Sam brought me a new movie that I had wanted to see.

Michael had arrived back at the house a couple hours ago, and after playing several card games with him and grandma, I couldn't put off going to bed any longer. It felt good to be surrounded by people who cared about me for the whole day, but that didn't make it any easier to put the scary thoughts out of my head and go to sleep. I knew Michael was going to be close by if I needed him, but that didn't stop me from being scared. I didn't just have nightmares of Larry to be scared of anymore. Now I had the real threat of him getting to me in the middle of the night. I tried to put these thoughts out of my head because they weren't conducive to a nightmare free night, but after a while I just drifted off, not being able to think of happy thoughts.

_I was running down the stairs in our house as fast as I could. I took the steps two at a time, knowing he was close behind and was out the door in no time. I wished I could run faster, but my body just wouldn't let me. Larry was gaining on me, and I just couldn't get myself to run faster. I frantically searched for someone to help me, but there was nobody on the streets. I could hear the sound of Larry's laughter behind me. He could tell I was running out of options. I saw my school a little further up the road, and decided to try to lose him inside. I knew the hallways better than he did so I would be better off. I sped up as much as my tired legs would let me and ran into the school. I ran up to the second floor and into one of the chemistry labs. I didn't hear Larry's footsteps behind me anymore, so I figured I probably lost him. I hid behind one of the lab tables and listened for any sign of him approaching. After sitting for a few minutes, I decided I'd better move before he found me again. I walked to the door, and right as I was about to turn the knob, it burst open. I flew back, not expecting that to happen, and Larry was on me. "You were the hardest one to catch! Michael and grandma were easy to finish off." He laughed and put the knife to my throat. "I'm sorry it has to be this way…" _

I gasped and shot out of bed. I could feel the tears streaming down my face as I ran to grandma's bedroom. When I got there, the room was empty. _This couldn't be true, it was just a dream!_ I thought to myself. I ran to Nate's bedroom and saw the same thing. Complete emptiness. I heard a noise downstairs, and frantically ran down the steps just like I had in my dream. When I cleared the stairs, I was greeted to the sight of Michael standing by the TV with the remote in his hand. He looked up when he saw me, and I ran straight towards him. I crashed into his arms, and my head was pounding from all the running, but I didn't care. "I thought you were dead!" I sobbed into Michael's shirt, not being able to control myself.

"What happened?" Michael asked. He led me over to the couch, but I pulled away from him.

"Where's grandma? She wasn't in her room either!" I still felt like I was in the dream.

Michael put his hands on my shoulders. "Lily, you need to relax. Grandma is outside talking to Mrs. Reynolds. We haven't gone to bed yet. You've been asleep for barely twenty minutes." Michael eased me onto the couch, and I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. He sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders.

I closed my eyes and put my hands over my face. "I thought it had been hours since I went to bed. The dream felt so long! And then when I woke up, nobody was upstairs! I thought it was the real thing." I paused, waiting for the pounding in my head to ease before I spoke again. "I was running from him. He said I was the last one. He had already killed you and grandma." I hated that my dreams about Larry always seemed so real.

"It's okay, kiddo. Grandma and I are both fine; just try not to think about it. If you get hung up on this, then Larry wins." We sat in silence for a long time after that. Eventually grandma came back into the house, but she didn't say anything to us; she always knew when it was best to just stay quiet. I could tell Michael didn't really know what to say to me, but it was okay. As long as I knew my family was safe, I could sleep soundly the rest of the night. I leaned my head on Michael's shoulder and closed my eyes, finally ready to try and sleep again. I knew I was in for a battle, but I was up for the challenge.


	9. Chapter 9

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 9

Miami, FL

_Lily Sizemore POV_

It was early in the morning when I arrived at school for cross country practice. We usually practiced early in the morning on Saturdays because the heat was so unbearable in the afternoon. After school had started up again, I decided I would join the team because I liked to run, but I was learning that there were also other unforeseen benefits. For one thing, I usually arrived home late on school nights and after doing all my homework for the next day, I was too exhausted to think about the things that caused me to have nightmares. After my last run-in with Larry, the nightmares had become much more frequent, and cross-country had been the perfect recipe for a dreamless sleep. Another benefit was Pete. I had met him the first day of practice, and we had really hit it off. The girls' team usually practiced with the boys' team, so we had a lot of opportunities to get to know each other. At first, both Pete and I had been really shy to talk to each other, but after weeks of practicing together, we eventually turned into quite the chatty pair. Pete was a year older than me, and he was really smart. I was beginning to really like him, and I hoped he felt the same way about me.

Practice was the same as it always was; not much to do besides run. When it was over, I said goodbye to my teammates and walked towards the parking lot to wait for Grandma to pick me up. I was excited because she said I could practice driving on the way home. I had gotten my learners permit a few weeks ago, but hadn't had many opportunities to practice. I stopped when I heard Pete calling my name. "Hey, Lily! Wait up!"

"Hey, Pete, what's up?" I asked, trying to sound casual. _What's up?_ I could feel myself blushing and instantly felt embarrassed.

Pete seemed just as nervous as I was. "Um, what are you doing tomorrow?" He asked.

"I was just planning on catching up on homework. Nothing big, why?" I shifted my weight from side to side (another nervous habit I have), and waited for him to respond.

"Wanna go running with me? I could meet you at your house, and we could go from there." He looked hopefully at me, and I smiled.

"Sure, that sounds fun! I know the perfect path we could run." I felt like I was beaming, so I tried to tone down my excitement.

"Great, how about 10:00?" He asked.

"Sounds good, see you then!" I said and started to walk towards the parking lot. I had spotted grandmas car.

"Bye, Lily." He called as I walked.

"Bye, Pete!" I started running towards grandmas car, feeling unable to contain my excitement. I wished tomorrow would come right now because I couldn't wait to show Pete my running path. When I got in the car, grandma picked up on my mood right away.

"What are you so happy about, Sweetie? Good practice?" She smiled at me as we drove away.

"It was fine. A boy on the team asked me to go running with him tomorrow." I said casually. Grandma puffed her cigarette and laughed.

"So that's what's got you all jazzed up! Tell me about this boy." Grandma pried for more details.

"Well, his name is Pete, and he's a junior. I really like him, Grandma." I responded. Grandma smiled coyly.

"Oh, an older boy, huh? That's wonderful, sweetie! You're growing up so fast!" She spoke with a misty voice, and I could tell she was getting sentimental.

"He's only a year older!" I shot back. Grandma laughed.

"I don't have a problem with you seeing an older boy, but don't tell Michael about it. I'm not sure he would approve. You know how he tends to overreact." While Grandma puffed on her cigarette, I hoped Michael wouldn't be coming by the house at any point tomorrow. I didn't want to be embarrassed. I could already envision Grandma on the front steps taking pictures of us or something.

"I wonder where he gets that from." I laughed and grandma huffed.

"Yeah, well… Do you still want to practice driving, honey? We can go to that big warehouse parking lot. There aren't ever any cars in there."

"Okay, sure." I replied, hoping it wouldn't be the same as last time. Last time we went driving, Grandma hadn't let me go over 5 miles an hour and she kept slamming on her imaginary brake with her foot every time we even got close to another car. We arrived at the warehouse parking lot a few minutes later and I could see why she wanted to practice there. There wasn't a car to be seen. We switched spots and while I was adjusting the seat, grandma reminded me of the basics for about the thousandth time.

"Now, Lily, remember the gas is on the right and the break is on the left. See?" She asked, pointing at each pedal in turn. I felt like I was five years old again.

"I got it, Grandma, can I drive now?" I asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice. I couldn't help but wish Michael could teach me how to do this rather than grandma. I loved her, but she was really not a good driving teacher.

"Sure, just not too fast." I accelerated the car and she flipped out. "I said not too fast!"

"Grandma, I was only going 10 miles an hour! I can't do this if you're gonna go crazy every time." I tried to stay calm.

"Fine, fine I just don't want any accidents." I drove around the parking lot several times, and tried to ignore grandma pressing the imaginary brake and putting her hands on the dash board. After twenty minutes of this, I'd had enough.

"Okay that's enough for me." I said, trying not to seem angry. I would never pass my driver's test if I didn't leave the parking lot. We drove home after that, and I spent the rest of the day puttering around the house, trying not to be anxious about my running with Pete tomorrow.

…

The next day seemed to come very slowly, but eventually I was pacing around the living room waiting for Pete's car to pull up in front of the house. I had a lot of things to be nervous about. What if I tripped over my feet when we were running? What if we had nothing to talk about and Pete thought I was a boring person? And the worst one…what if he decided he didn't like me? There were a lot of what if's circling around in my head and I tried to push them away. Pete and I always seemed to have something to talk about so I had no reason to be nervous. After a quick glance out the window to see if I saw Pete's car, I made my way into the kitchen. Grandma was doing dishes and she looked up when I came in. "So, do I get to meet this boy?"

"I don't know; maybe when we come back from running, Grandma. I don't want to overwhelm him with all this." I gestured around the house and Grandma rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Lily! It's not like you live in a zoo!" Grandma shook her head and continued washing.

"Well, you just never know what you'll see in here… What if he sees one of Michael's strange creations?" Michael sometimes left his homemade bugs and other strange spy things around the house, and I would be mortified if Pete saw something like that. How could I explain that? _Oh, we sometimes like to spy on the neighbors…_ I shook my head at the thought of it.

"You worry too much, honey. Nothing like that will happen. I promise; just be yourself and you'll have a great time. I'm going upstairs to clean the bathroom, just holler if you need anything, okay?" I nodded and Grandma wiped her hands on the dish towel and put her arms out. I gave her a hug and then went back to the front window to wait. A couple minutes later, I saw Pete's car pull up and I was out the door in a flash. Pete got out of the car just as I opened the front door and waved.

"Hey, Pete." I started, feeling the butterflies in my stomach.

"Hey, Lily, are you ready?" He asked.

"Sure, do you need somewhere to put your keys?" I gestured towards the car keys in his hand.

"That'd be great." He replied. I smiled and took his keys to bring them into the house, happy that everything seemed to have started off well. My feelings changed when I opened the front door though. Just as I stepped into the entryway, I saw Michael step in the house through the back door in the kitchen like he had planned it. I tried to sneak out the door before he saw me, but I was unsuccessful.

"Hey, Lily, how have you been? How's your head?" _Great_, I thought to myself. Michael had taken to asking me how my head was every time he saw me since my concussion in the summer. I had gotten over the concussion in a few days, but I still had a small scar on my temple from when Larry hit me with his gun. While I knew he was just worried about me, it had grown annoying about three weeks ago. Forcing myself back to the present, I smiled at Michael. "Hi, Michael. My head is still fine, thanks for asking. I should really be going." I said briefly, hoping he wouldn't notice the foreign keys on the table.

Michael laughed at my short response and raised his eyebrows. "Why the rush? Have you got a hot date or something?" I blushed bright red at this, and Michael glanced out the window. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head when he saw Pete standing on the sidewalk waiting for me.

"I should go…" I said lamely, hoping Michael wouldn't say anything else. I was wrong again of course. I opened the front door and walked out and Michael followed me.

"Who's your friend?" I walked back towards Pete and Michael joined us. I tried to communicate with Michael that I didn't want to talk at the moment, but he pretended not to notice.

"This is Pete. Pete, this is my… Uncle Michael." I always had trouble thinking of ways to introduce Michael to my friends. Michael smiled and held out his hand and Pete shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Pete. How do you know Lily?" _There he goes_, I thought to myself.

"We're on the cross country team together. We were just about to go for a run." Pete said. I could tell he was slightly nervous talking to Michael.

"Oh, how nice…I guess you two don't run enough at practice, huh? How old are you?" Michael asked, bluntly. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he ignored me.

"I'm a junior, I just turned 16 in August." Pete replied.

"That's great, and you have a car and everything. Do you have a job?" Michael was acting like Pete committed a crime, and it was my worst nightmare.

"No, I don't have a job. I don't have much time with cross country going on." Michael nodded, and before he could ask another question, I cut in.

"We should really get going, _Uncle Mike_." I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice, but I was failing.

"Oh sure, don't let me hold you up, I'll just go back inside." Michael replied with a smile. I shook my head, knowing Michael would probably search Pete's car or something the first chance he got. I had no doubt in my mind he had already seen Pete's car keys on the front hall table. The sound of Michael's voice brought me out of my thoughts once again, "Oh, Lily? I forgot I needed to tell you something, would you come inside for just another moment?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sure." I hoped Pete didn't notice the tension between Michael and me, but it seemed pretty apparent. I walked towards the house and Michael followed me in. As soon as I opened the screen door I started on him. "What's your problem?" I snarled, angry that he had embarrassed me.

"What do you mean?" He responded innocently. I put the keys on the hall table and rolled my eyes.

"Oh, come on! You were interrogating him like he committed a crime!" I looked out the window and saw Pete was leaning against his car, waiting.

"No, I wasn't! It was just a few questions, and how much do you really know about this kid? He looks too old for you." I shook my head, shocked that Michael was judging Pete.

"I know a lot about him, Michael! And he's only a year older than me; I knew you would react like this. Just do me a favor and don't search his car, okay?" I turned to leave the house, not wanting to be in the same room as Michael, but he grabbed my arm.

"Do you have your cell phone?" He asked in a serious voice.

"I sure do! Never leave home without it; you never know when some crazy cross country boy might attack, right?" I said sarcastically. I stormed out of the house, leaving Michael with his thoughts.

…

_Michael Westen POV_

_Lily has a boyfriend?_ I couldn't get the thought out of my head as I stood in the front hall after Lily stormed out of the house. Seeing Lily standing outside the house with a boy had been the last thing I expected when I strolled up a few minutes ago. I had come to the house to get some repair tools for the Charger, and I couldn't have been more surprised at the turn of events that had just occurred. It felt so strange to let Lily walk out of the house to go hang out with a boy; after all, I knew practically nothing about this kid. What if he wasn't what he seemed to be? How could I be absolutely sure Lily was going to be safe with him? There seemed to be a lot of variables I couldn't control, and I wasn't sure I liked that at all.

I looked at the car keys sitting all too conveniently on the hall table. My fingers itched to pick them off the table and run outside for a quick look inside this boy's car. Lily was already expecting me to do it, so why not, right? Just as I grabbed the keys off the table, I heard the sound of my mother's voice. "Michael! I didn't know you were coming by this morning!" She always seemed to pick the absolute worst moment to show up.

"Well, it was an unplanned visit, Ma. Are you aware that Lily is hanging around with this boy?" I looked at my mother expectantly and she waved me off.

"Of course I know, Michael! What's the problem?" She lit a cigarette as she spoke and I waved at the smoke in my face before I responded.

"She's too young to date, Ma! This kid is older than her too. I don't like it." I walked towards the kitchen and grabbed a glass for iced tea and my mother followed me. The car keys were practically burning in my hand and I wished she would leave for a few minutes so I could peek around in Pete's car.

"Oh, Michael that's ridiculous! He's only a year older than her; Lily seems to really like him, so you should too." She paused when she saw the car keys in my hand. "You better leave those car keys on the table; you're acting like a lunatic, Michael!"

"Well forgive me for being a little cautious. How much do you know about this kid?" I asked.

My mother snorted and grabbed the keys out of my hand. She rolled her eyes at me and walked back to put the keys on the hall table where I got them. "I know he's in high school and he runs cross country, just like Lily. He seems like a harmless, sweet boy to me!"

I finished my glass of iced tea and put the empty glass in the sink. "Oh, fine." I muttered, not wanting to discuss _Pete_ anymore. My mother just didn't understand the dangers of Lily seeing strange boys from school.

"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked when she came back into the kitchen.

"I had to get some tools from the garage to fix the Charger up. I think I'll go do that right now." I walked towards the garage, glad to get some space from my mother. As I rummaged around the work bench for what I needed, I thought more about the whole dating situation. I had hoped the time would never come when Lily would be interested in dating, but apparently it was upon me. That didn't mean I had to like it though. Lily had gotten so defensive when I had just asked Pete a few questions. She must have been expecting what I would say, but why would she get so upset? I was just trying to make sure she didn't run off with the wrong boy. I threw some old spark plugs to the side and paused for a second. Did I know who the _right_ boy for Lily was? I shook my head, not knowing the answer to that question. I wished I could just tell Lily she couldn't date and be done with it, but that would never happen. Feeling even more confused than when I came into the garage, I made my way back inside to wait for Lily to come back. I wanted to talk to her more about what happened and I hoped she would be back soon.

When I walked back into the kitchen, I was surprised to see Fiona and my mother giggling about something. "I didn't know you were stopping by, Fi." I looked at her questioningly.

"I was just coming by to drop off your mother's poker chips. I had a little get together at my place last night and borrowed them. What are you so upset about?" Fi smiled at me, she probably already knew what was going on.

I rolled my eyes, suddenly feeling like it was me against the world. "I'm guessing you know what Lily is doing right now?"

Fi nodded. "Your mother told me. It's about time that boy asked her out if you ask me."

I raised my eyebrows. "You know him?"

"Of course, Michael. Lily has told me a few things about him, and I met him a few weeks ago. I went to Lily's cross country meet and she introduced me to him."

"Lily told you about him? How come she didn't tell me anything?" I wondered.

"Probably because she knew you were going to react like this. Maybe you should start going to the cross country meets too. It might help you to get more involved in Lily's life."

I went into the living room and sat on the couch and Fiona followed me. My mother stayed in the kitchen, probably to give me some space. "I thought I was involved in her life…" I had hoped Lily would never keep secrets from me, but I guess I never thought she would think I would overreact like I was. I turned to Fi, "So you have no problems with this boy?"

"Michael, I think he's a very nice boy. You shouldn't worry about Lily hanging out with him. I think you're too protective of her sometimes." Fiona mused.

"I just want her to be happy, and I don't want any immature boys to mess that up. Lily has had a lot of struggles this past year, what with Larry and all that trouble. It just worried me when I saw that boy outside the house today." Fi smiled and patted my shoulder.

"Trust me, Michael. Lily is as happy as she can be with this boy. There's nothing to worry about." Fi kissed me on the cheek and stood up from the couch. "Just try not to be such a helicopter 'uncle', or whatever it is she calls you, and you'll be fine."

…

Twenty minutes later and Lily had yet to come back to the house. Fiona had left shortly after our conversation to go do whatever it is she does on a Sunday morning, and I could tell my mother was getting impatient with my constant glances out the window and at my watch. She had already been gone for forty five minutes for crying out loud! As I paced a hole through the living room floor, a small part of me thought that I was being a little irrational, but I mostly had the urge to get in the car and try to track them down.

"Michael, I'm going to the grocery store," my mom said as she grabbed her purse. "Call me if Pete turns out to be a serial killer or something." She added sarcastically.

I glared at her as she walked out the door, and added, "I'm so glad you think this is funny!"

Yet another ten minutes later, I was about to resort to cleaning my gun, which is something I usually do when I'm anxious, but I finally saw Lily and Pete walking towards the house. As soon as I saw Lily make a turn towards the front door, I sprinted to the kitchen and flipped on the sink, trying to make it look like I was doing dishes. I pretended not to notice when the door opened then closed as Lily grabbed Pete's car keys.

"You _never_ do dishes." Lily said from behind me a few minutes later.

I turned around, feigning surprise. "Oh, did Pete leave already?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at me. "Like you didn't know that already…so was there anything incriminating in his car? Maybe the knife he's going to kill me with at practice tomorrow?" Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. I probably deserved it.

I turned off the sink and dried my hands before I said, "I wouldn't know if he had a knife because I didn't look in his car. Do you think that's something I should be worried about though?" I asked seriously, returning the sarcasm.

Lily couldn't help but smile at that, but she quickly retorted, "You didn't need to question him like that. I was embarrassed, Michael." She sat on the counter to wait for my response. It was so hard to look at her without picturing the small five year old she had been when we first met. But she was fifteen now, not five.

"I'm sorry, Lil. I know I came off a little harsh earlier, but I just want you to be happy. I think we both know this has been a rough year for you, and it worries me to see you running off with boys I know nothing about."

Lily sighed. "I probably should have told you about Pete. I was just worried that you would do something exactly like what just happened." She paused then added, "I know I've had a rough time this past year, but trust me, this is good for me."

I smiled, "So should I assume that you will be seeing this Pete boy again?"

Lily blushed and looked away shyly. "Yeah, I hope so."

I sensed that Lily didn't want to talk about Pete anymore (at least around me) so I changed the subject. "So, speaking of searching Pete's car, how are your driving lessons going?"

Lily put her hands over her face. "Oh gosh, don't remind me; it's terrible! Grandma is the worst teacher; I have yet to go over ten miles an hour. At this rate I won't get my license until I'm twenty one."

I laughed, "Well maybe I'm not too good at talking to teenage boys who want to date you, but I do know a thing or two about driving."

Lily's face lit up, "Are you serious?"

"I'm serious as a heart attack; why don't you come back to the loft with me? After I fix the Charger, we can have a little driving lesson." Lily laughed at my joke and hopped off the counter. After leaving a note for my mother, we left the house and made our way to the loft.

…

An hour later, the Charger was fixed and ready for action. I watched Lily in the driver's seat as she shifted everything around to her liking. When she had made her adjustments, she turned to me with a smile. "Ready?" She asked. I smiled at her eagerness, feeling relieved she wasn't upset with me anymore.

I buckled my seat belt and took a deep breath. "Ready as I'll ever be!"

…

A/N: I was really happy with this chapter, and I hope everyone enjoyed reading it! Thanks for keeping up with my story, and I appreciate all the reviews!


	10. Chapter 10

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 10

Miami, FL

_Lily Sizemore POV_

It was a warm afternoon when I finished cross country practice and headed towards the school. Practice had been boring because Pete was out of town visiting his grandparents for the weekend, and I was ready for a nice relaxing day lounging on the couch when I got home. It had been a tense couple of weeks because of what was going on in Michael's life, and I hadn't gotten much time to relax between keeping up with my normal routine, which Michal insisted I did, and living at the loft for a couple nights with grandma. Living at the loft had been interesting to say the least. Michael had a lot of strange visitors including an ex-girlfriend of his named Sam. Fiona didn't like this at all and I was thankful she left after a few days. Michael seemed to be planning something, but whenever I asked him about it he would say he couldn't tell me because it wasn't safe. Michael thought it would be best if we stayed at the loft until things cooled down and he had only just given us the okay to go back home a couple days ago. It had been nice being home again after living in the tense atmosphere of Michael's loft, but I still had a feeling something bad was coming no matter how hard I tried to put it out of my head.

As if on cue, two men in suits appeared and made their way over when they spotted me. "Are you Lily Sizemore?" One man asked with a stern sounding voice. I instantly went on the defensive.

"Um, yeah. Did you need something?" I asked, trying to play dumb. I knew these were people that had something to do with Michael.

"We just wanted to ask you a few questions about Michael Westen. You know him, right?" The men looked at me expectantly and I felt my stomach drop. I knew I had to get away as fast as possible. I thought fast and answered.

"Sure, I know him. I'll be glad to answer your questions, but I really have to go to the bathroom. You know how it is; I just got out of a long practice." I tried to look embarrassed.

The men looked like they weren't buying my excuse and I grew even more nervous. I could feel my hands shaking and I prayed they didn't notice. "Of course we understand. Take your time, we'll be waiting right here." I smiled and scampered into the athletic entrance to the school. I ran into the girl's locker room and tore open my locker. I reached for my cell phone and opened it so I could call Michael. I hoped he would know how to help me. I panicked when I saw I had three missed calls and two text messages, all from Michael. The first text read _where are you_? The second text read, _CALL ME ASAP_. I frantically dialed Michael's number on my cell and it rang a couple times before he answered.

"Lily, are you okay? Where are you right now?" He asked, his voice urgent.

"I'm at school, I just got out of practice. Michael, there are men here who want to talk to me about you. I said I had to go to the bathroom and I ran into the locker room. What should I do?" I asked, hoping he would say it was nothing to worry about, but knowing I was wrong.

"I was worried about this. Something has happened and Carla is on to me. She wants to bring you in to get leverage over me. Just stay right where you are for now. How many men were there?" He was talking very fast, and seemed like he was doing multiple things at once.

"Just two came up to me. Do you think there are more? What do you mean they want to bring me in?" I felt the tears coming on and tried to hold them back. Now was not the time to start crying and I knew I had to be tough.

"They want to take you away to try and lure me in but that's not going to happen, okay?" Michael assured me.

"Okay, what should I do?" I asked, running my hand through my hair.

"Okay, Lily, there are most certainly more men out there somewhere. I want you to leave the locker room and take a look outside to see if you see more. Make sure you aren't seen. Can you do that?" He spoke more slowly and I could tell he was trying to keep me calm.

"Do I have any other choice?" I asked, trying to work up my courage. What if they were waiting outside the door?

"No, I'm afraid not. You can do this, Lil." I nodded like he could see me through the phone and opened the door to the locker room. The locker room was located in a separate hallway from the entrance, so I edged towards the end of the wall so I could peek towards the windows. When I looked, I saw there were about ten men, obviously waiting for me to come back out. There would be no escape through that entrance. I went back into the locker room and reported back to Michael.

"There are about ten of them so I can't just walk out. Should I just go to the other end of the school and exit?" I asked, waiting for his response.

"No, you can't. They might be in the school already and we can't risk it." He paused for a second, thinking. "Okay, plan B. Do you see any vents big enough for you to fit in?"

"What?" I asked. Was he crazy?

"Look along the walls and on the ceiling. If you see one big enough, you need to pull the screen off. Do you still have that swiss army knife I gave you?"

"Yeah, I still have it." I scanned the walls and didn't see one I could fit in. I looked up at the ceiling, and just as I was about to give up, I saw one on the far side of the room that looked just big enough for me. "There's one on the ceiling."

"Okay, go lock the door to the locker room." As I ran towards the door to lock it, he kept talking. "Use the knife to unscrew the vent and climb up. Put your phone on speaker so I can direct you." I switched the phone to speaker and ran towards the vent. It looked pretty high, and I decided to try and climb on top of the lockers to reach it. I put my hands on the top of the row of lockers and started to climb by putting my feet on the door handles. It was hard work, and I felt my muscles protesting as I pulled myself up with my arms. I finally managed to wriggle onto the dusty surface of the top of the lockers and I took a few deep breaths.

I jumped when I heard Michael's voice, forgetting he was on the phone. "What are you doing? Keep me posted."

"I just climbed on top of the lockers, and I'm about to unscrew the vent." I relayed while I fished for the swiss in my pocket.

"Okay, try to hurry, Lil." Michael said.

"I know." I tried to keep the edge out of my voice. I worked quickly, and in a couple minutes I had the screws off and the vent fell to the ground with a loud clatter. I heard the door to the locker room jiggling and stood up to look into the vent. My heart dropped when I saw I would have to jump to get in. "Shit, it's too high. I don't think I can do it without help and I can hear the door jiggling." I looked at the opening to the vent and measured the distance. If I dove forward I could probably manage to get my stomach in and then wriggle the rest of the way. What if I missed though? It was a long way to fall.

"Lily, you have to do this. If I could help you, I'd be there in a heartbeat, kid. Trust yourself and just jump for it. You don't have a lot of time to waste here." I took a deep breath and steadied my feet. I heard the lock jiggle again, and it was all I needed. I took a leap towards the vent.

"Holy crap!" I gasped when my stomach slammed into the edge of the vent with my feet dangling underneath me. I almost fell but I managed to pull myself up with my arms little by little. "Okay, I'm in." I gasped so Michael would know I made it. As soon as I said that I heard the locker room door burst open and I immediately started crawling. The men would know exactly where I went since the covering of the vent was on the ground, but I was reasonably sure none of them would be able to fit into the small opening so I was safe for now.

"Michael, they know I'm in the vent!" I frantically whispered.

"That's okay, Lily they still don't know where you will come out. Just keep moving as quickly as possible." Michael reassured me.

I could barely breathe through all of the dust in the vents, but I crawled along the metal tunnel and stopped when the vent went off in three different directions. "Michael, there are three different directions. Which one should I take?" I whispered because I wasn't quite sure where I was. I could be right above one of the bad guys for all I knew.

"I don't know, you're gonna have to guess. Try left and see where that takes you." He said briskly. I groaned.

"Okay." I replied as I took the left path and crawled through the tunnels. After a few minutes, I reached the end of the tunnel, but I could see that it was way too high off the ground for me to jump out. "Shoot!" I exclaimed, "I have to try another way."

I heard Michael's voice again, "Just stay calm, Lily. You still have time. Go back and try the middle tunnel. It has only been a few minutes even though it seems like longer." I huffed, but crawled back to where I started and took the middle path. After some crawling, I realized that this tunnel was sloping down, which seemed promising. When I came to the end, I realized I was only about ten feet off the ground and the area outside looked like some sort of gated maintenance yard.

"I think I can get out here, Michael. I don't see anyone around; I'll be in some sort of gated maintenance area. I'm right across the street from that grocery store we used to go to before Fi punched that cashier who was hitting on her." I said, trying to lighten the mood and not sound panicked about the ten foot drop.

Michael was all business, clearly not in a joking mood. "I can't see how high up you are, Lily, but if you know you can make it just unscrew the vent and get out of there." Michael said, sounding relieved that I found a way out. I pulled my swiss out of my pocket and went to work on the screws. The vent covering dropped to the ground and I took a deep breath while I looked at the ground to assess the height of the drop. It might have been more than ten feet, but there was no sense in wasting time worrying about it so I let myself drop out of the vent.

I tried to absorb the fall by bending my knees so I wouldn't break an ankle (or two) and it worked well. I just tumbled to the side as I hit the ground, but I was relatively unharmed. "Okay, I made it." I said, just so Michael knew I wasn't hurt. I brushed off some of the dust on my clothes and added, "What's next?"

I heard him sigh in relief before he said, "Look through the gate and see if you can see anybody." Michael waited again while I looked. I jumped back when I saw a man in a suit.

"There's one guy. He'll see me if I open the gate." My heart dropped. I didn't have a way to get back into the vents, so if this guy saw me I was out of luck.

"Keep an eye on that guy; he is probably doing a perimeter scan. As soon as he turns the corner and can't see you, sprint towards the grocery store across the street."

I peeked through the gate and the guy was still standing there. "He's still there. He'll see me, I don't want to do this, Michael. There has to be another option!" I shook my head as a few tears rolled down my cheeks. I wanted Michael to be here with me. I wasn't a spy and I would get caught.

"Lily, you've made it this far already and the next part is easy. There are no other options right now. The longer you wait, the more backup they will get. You can do this." Michael spoke urgently and I knew he had faith in me even if I didn't. I looked through the gate again just in time to see the man in the suit disappear around the corner.

"He's gone, I'm going for it." I said. I tore open the gate and sprinted like a bat out of hell towards the parking lot of the grocery store. "Okay I'm here, where should I go? I don't think anyone followed me."

Michael sighed and I could tell he was relieved. "Okay, go into the store before they see you." I sprinted into the entrance of the store before Michael said, "Try not to look suspicious, just act natural. And turn off the speaker phone so it doesn't look like you're talking to yourself." Oops. I slowed down and walked through the store with my phone to my ear. I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going, but I ended up in the yogurt section, of course.

"Where do I go now?" I asked as I pretended to stare intently at a strawberry yogurt.

"I remember there is a back exit just past the frozen foods section. Make sure there are no employees around and take that exit." Michael waited while I stared around the exit to make sure there were no employees around and walked out the back door. It felt great to be outside in the heat after the chilly temperature of the grocery store, and I didn't see any suspicious men in suits waiting for me.

"Okay I'm out of the store." I relayed back to Michael, hoping my ordeal would come to an end soon.

"Okay great. How do you feel about a little running?" He asked. I groaned; running was the last thing I felt like doing at the moment.

"Where to?" I asked, hoping it wasn't far.

"Remember that spot I showed you a couple weeks ago where we meet when things like this happen? You're going to meet Fiona there." I could tell he didn't want to say where it was on the phone.

The spot he was talking about was a restaurant about 3 miles away. "Will I be able to see you?" I asked hopefully.

"It's not safe where I am, Lil. Just head down to the spot and Fiona will be waiting there. I'll stay on the line until you get there, but then I have to go."

"Okay, here I go." I said and began the three mile run to the restaurant.

The run seemed like the longest of my life, but I eventually made it. "I made it!" I said triumphantly, breathing heavily.

"Lily, you did a great job and I'm very proud. Just look around on the street for Fiona's car. Do you see it?"

I scanned the street, and I eventually saw Fiona's black Saab on the corner. She waved and I started to jog over. "I see her. Thanks for helping me out of that mess, Michael."

"No problem, I'm sorry you were in it. Stick with Fiona and take care of yourself, okay?"

"Okay, I will. Be careful, Michael!" I said as I opened the car door.

"I will, Lily." He said before he hung up. I felt a burst of relief when I saw Fiona and she held her arms out for me.

"Lily, you did a great job today, but I'm afraid this day is far from over. Are you up for this?" Fiona let go of me and put her hands on my shoulders.

"I guess I have to be." I replied with a reluctant smile.


	11. Chapter 11

Michael's Little Problem: Part 2

Chapter 11

Miami, FL

_Lily Sizemore POV_

The first thing we did before Fiona began driving was leave my cell phone on the corner of the street. We couldn't risk the people who were after us tracing my phone to find us. As Fiona navigated through the crowded streets of downtown Miami, I began asking her questions about what was happening with Michael. Now that I was directly involved in what was going on with him, I felt I should know who was after me. "Where is Michael?" I asked as we drove.

Fiona huffed and I could tell she was frustrated. "He is following another spy named Victor around because he has some information that could help take the people who burned him down. From what I understand, they are going to get Victor's boat, and leave the country."

I gaped at Fiona like a fish. "He's leaving? When is he coming back?"

"Michael is trying to protect us by leaving, and I'm not sure when he'll be coming back. He thought it was more important for me to stay here with you and Madeline and keep you safe." Fiona looked at me sideways and she could probably tell how upset I was because she added, "Michael is going to be fine, Lily."

"Is my grandma okay?" I asked Fiona. My heart dropped at the thought that I had no idea what was going on with her and Sam.

"I don't know, Lily. I'm sure Sam was able to help her, but we had to ditch our cell phones so we couldn't be traced. We're going to drive by some of our meeting spots, and hopefully Sam and Madeline will be waiting for us at one of them. Then we'll come up with a plan." I just nodded, lost in thoughts about all the bad things that could happen to us and we continued driving.

After going to three different meeting spots all around the city, at the fourth one, we finally found Sam. "There he is!" I shouted when I saw him sitting at a table at a Cuban restaurant. Fiona parked the car and I hopped out and ran to the table, unable to walk at a normal pace like Fiona was. Sam put his arms up like he was thanking God when he saw me and he got up from the table. I ran full speed into him and gave him a hug, almost knocking him over in the process.

"Whoa there, kiddo!" He chuckled as he patted my back awkwardly. Sam and I usually didn't hug.

"I'm just glad you're okay! What about grandma?" I asked, hoping she was alright.

"She's fine. We managed to get out of the house alright, and after I told her Mike wanted me to watch you two she insisted I help Mike out instead." He turned towards Fiona. "What did he tell you?"

Fiona rolled her eyes. "He told me the same thing."

Same gave a grim smile. "What do you think we should do?" They both looked at each other and then at me.

"Don't worry about me! Just go help Michael!" I felt like I could say that I was out of danger for now, and it seemed like Michael was in a heap of trouble.

Fi looked at Sam and nodded. "I know where to find Michael, but I don't want to leave Lily alone."

Sam seemed to agree. "Let's take her with us and we'll figure out what to do when we get there. One step at a time, Fi." Fi nodded and we stood up from the table and left to go find Michael.

…

Twenty minutes later, we stopped at a storage unit right off the highway. "Michael is here?" I asked, craning my neck to see if I spotted him. There had been a tense silence the whole car ride, and I couldn't be quiet anymore.

Sam shook his head. "We just need to pick up a few things first." We parked the car and made our way over to what appeared to be a storage unit that was owned by Sam, Fi, and Michael. Fi looked around, scanning the area before she opened the door to the unit, and just as I suspected, it was full of ammunition and guns.

My jaw dropped at the sheer amount of firepower that had stockpiled in the little storage unit. "Do you really think you're ever going to need all this?" I asked, not being able to help myself. It looked like they could arm a small army with all the stuff they had packed in.

Fi smiled wryly. "You never know. There might be a situation that calls for a lot of firepower. At least we know we'll be ready." I just nodded, and Fiona began looking through the weapons, deciding which ones she wanted to take. She selected a large rifle while Sam took a couple smaller guns. I prayed they didn't expect me to arm myself, and I was glad when they locked the unit up and we hastily made our way back to the car.

My stomach was in knots as we drove to wherever we were going. Fiona knew the way so she took the wheel. "What's the plan?" I asked, hoping they had thought of something. Sam looked like he was going to answer, but Fiona cut him off.

"Well first off, Lily you won't be coming with us. We'll find a place for you to wait and hopefully the whole operation won't take too long." Fi looked at Sam and went on. "I say we find a good position and take out as many of those bastards as possible." The plan seemed simple but gruesome.

Sam shook his head. "The only thing I agree with is not taking Lily with us. We don't even know if Carla's men will be there, Fi! We're not storming in there, guns blazing! If they are there, then we'll just watch Mike, and step in if there's a problem."

Fi huffed and rolled her eyes. "These people ruined Michael's life, Sam! The least we can do is cause them a little pain for it!"

"Only if it's absolutely necessary, Fi. This is how Mike would do it." Sam seemed to be staying firm.

Fi rolled her eyes. "Michael is always too soft. We'll hang back unless he needs us, but if I have a chance to take Carla out, I'm taking it." Fi spoke with a tone of finality, and Sam didn't respond. Like Sam, I felt they should stay on the side of caution, but then again, I agreed with Fiona that if she had the chance to take the leader out, she should. We drove in silence the rest of the way, and in about five minutes, we had arrived at a marina. We got out of the car and Sam and Fi looked around, probably trying to figure out a place for me to hide.

"What about that bench over there by the drug store? I don't think they'd be able to see her over there." Sam was talking about me like I wasn't there. Him and Fi were clearly totally focused on getting over to help Michael out. Fi nodded in agreement and turned to me.

"Okay, Lily. You're going to go sit on that bench over there and wait for us. If we're not back in twenty minutes then you just leave." Fiona handed me a wad of cash. "Use the cash to get yourself somewhere safe." I nodded.

"You don't think you'll be coming back?" I asked. I was terrified of being left to fend for myself in the event that Sam and Fi couldn't get back to me.

Sam put his arm around me. "We'll do our best, kid. I mean after all, I got a crazy Irish woman with me. What could go wrong?" I had to laugh at that comment and Fi gave Sam a rare smile. Sam gave me a one-armed hug and then Fi put her arms on my shoulders.

"We'll be in the trees over there by the marina. No matter what you see or hear, don't go near there, okay? Michael would kill me if something were to happen to you." I nodded and Fiona pulled me into a hug. After that, Sam and Fiona left and I made my way over to the bench to wait. I grabbed a newspaper from one of the free dispensers on the street corner and sat down on the bench to 'read it' so it looked like I was there for a reason. I could feel the exhaustion weighing down on me, but my fear for Michael, Fi, and Sam outweighed the exhaustion. What if something happened to one of them and I never saw them again? I couldn't even bear the thought of something happening to Michael. It would be like losing my father, and I could feel myself tearing up at the thought of it.

Then there was the thought of Michael leaving on a boat with this Victor character. How long would he be gone and how much danger would he be in? Questions that I couldn't answer whizzed through my head and I had to push them away because it was driving me crazy how much I didn't know right now. I looked up from the newspaper and squinted across the street to see if I could see anything going on at the marina. The covering of trees that surrounded the area was too thick, so I couldn't see much of anything. I went back to scanning the newspaper after that, while glancing up every few seconds to see if I saw Fi or Sam. It had been about ten minutes when I heard the sound of a helicopter in the distance. I looked up to see if I could see where it was coming from and I spotted it in the distance. It looked like it was flying over the water.

I shook it off thinking it was probably just a news chopper, but I had a sinking feeling this had to do with what was going on at the marina. The chopper got closer and closer, and my heart sank when I realized it was preparing to land by the marina. It got lower, and eventually it disappeared behind the trees. I stood up from the bench, knocking the newspaper off my lap in the process. I wasn't sure if I should run away or wait. Sam and Fi still had five minutes, but whoever was in that helicopter probably was no friend to me or anyone related to Michael. My question was answered when I saw Sam and Fi sprint out of the forest and run towards me. "GO GO GO!" Sam shouted when they were close enough. I sprinted along with them, and Fi led the way towards a shopping center that was about a block away. It looked like they had both ditched their weapons, and I desperately wanted to know what happened to cause us to have to run out of there like the devil was after us.

In a couple minutes we had arrived at the shopping center. People were gaping at us because we were running so fast, and Fiona seemed to realize this right as we got to the doors. "The sale ends in ten minutes! I told you we were gonna be late, honey!" She shouted angrily at Sam. People laughed when they heard this and we made our way into the store. We were all out of breath and sweating, so we quickly walked towards the bathrooms. We all went into the women's bathroom and Fi locked the door once we were all in.

"What happened?" I asked as soon as I caught my breath.

"When we got in position, Carla's men were everywhere. They had Victor's boat surrounded, and it looked like Carla was getting ready to blow the boat up with Michael and Victor in it. We saw the helicopter coming, so I knew we had to act fast. I took Carla out, and then all hell broke loose. We had to get away from Carla's men after that, and I'm assuming Michael went off in the helicopter." Fi looked sadly at me, and I could tell she had no idea what was going to happen to him.

"So he's gone?" I asked. My voice sounded far away. I sank down to the bathroom floor, not caring that it was probably very dirty.

Sam sat down on the floor next to me. "For now he is. Mikey's too important for them to kill him though. He'll be back, Lily. We just don't know when." I shot up from the floor after hearing him say this.

"We have to go back for him! Why are we just sitting here?" I went to open the bathroom door but Fiona grabbed my arm.

"We can't go back there, Lily. They already know we took care of Carla so they'll be looking for us. It would be a suicide mission. Michael can take care of himself, we just have to trust him." I shook my head, wishing there was another way, but I knew Fiona was right. Michael would either get out of this whole thing alive or never come back and I would just have to accept that. We sat in the bathroom for another couple minutes before Sam got up from the floor.

"I say we go back to Mike's place and get on that radio he's got. If there's any major activity, we'll know about it." Fi nodded in agreement, and we left the bathroom.

…

After taking two busses and walking about ten more minutes, we finally arrived at the loft. The familiar smell made me miss Michael so much I felt like crying. I didn't want to be around Sam and Fi anymore. I just wanted to be alone. "I'm gonna go lay down on the couch upstairs." I announced. I made my way upstairs and plopped down on the familiar brown couch. Sam turned on the police scanner Michael had and the sounds of the voices on the radio filled the loft. _I guess the waiting begins… _I thought to myself miserably.

...

Well, that's it for part 2! The third part will come up soon! Let me know what you think and thanks for reading.


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